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THE
HISTORY OF PRINTING
IN
AMERICA.
WITH A
^ , BIOGRAPHY OF PRINTERS,
AND AN
ACCOUNT OF NEWSPAPERS.
TO WHICH IS PREFIXED A CONCISE VIEW OF
THE DISCOVERY AND PROGRESS OF THE ART
\. IN
OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
( > IN TWO VOLUMES.
\ BY ISAIAH THOMAS, ^' '^ ' ^^
PRINraR, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.
Volume I.
PRINTING dispels the gloom of mental night-
Hail ! pleasing fountain of all cheering light !
How like the radiant orb which gives the day.
And o'er the earth sends forth th' enlight'ning ray !
WORCESTER :
FROM THE PRESS OF ISAIAH THOMAS, JUN.
ISAAC STURTEVANT, PRINTER.
1810.
/6/^
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO WIT.
^^_^^ BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the eleventh
day of May, in the thirty fourth Year of the Independence of the
United Statesof America, Isaiah Thomas, of the said District, has
deposited in this Office the Title of a Book, the Right whereof he
claims as Author, in the Words following, to luit : The History of
Printing in America. With a Biography of Printers, and an Ac-
count of Newspapers. To which is prefixed a concise view of the
Discovery and Progress of the Art in other Parts of the World. In
two Volumes,
In Conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United
States, entitled, " An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by-
securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and
Proprietors of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned;"
and also to an Act entitled, "An Act supplementary to an Act, en-
titled, An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing .he
Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors
of such Copies during the Times therein mentioned ; and extending
the Benefits thereof to the Arts of Designing, Engraving, and Etch-
ing Historical, and other Prints."
WM. S. SHAW,
Ckrk of the District of Massachusetts
V
\
DEDICATION.
TO
The President J and other Officers and Members, of
the AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SO-
CIETY, in Pennsylvania : —
AND,
The President^ Counsellors and other Members, of
the AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS
AND SCIENCES, in Massachusetts.
GENTLEMEN,
I KNOW not to ^vhom I can with more pro-
priety dedicate this work than to you, who are pro-
fessedly patrons of the arts.
No writer, on either side of the Atlantic, has
presented to the world a History of Printing in
America ; and, as many of the facts relating to the
subject were in danger of being irrecoverably lost,
I have, with a view of placing them in a state of
preservation, undertaken to collect the same, and
now take the liberty to present them to you.
IV DEDICATION.
Should these volumes meet your approbation,
so distinguishing an honor will afford ample com-
pensation for the labor which has attended the con-
struction of them.
With the greatest respect and esteem, I have
the honor to subscribe myself,
Gentlemen,
Your faithful servant,
ISAIAH THOMAS.
JForcester, Massachusetts^
May 7, 1810.
CONTENTS.
VOL. I.
Page.
HISTORY of Printing, 17
Account of Books, ibid
Materials of which books have been made, .... 28
Invention of Parchment, 29
Various kinds of paper, 34
Scarcity and value of books before the discovery of
printing, 48
Books written by the scribes, compared with those first
printed, 48
Description of ancient Bibles, 45
Illumination of books, 70
Origin and practice of Printing in China, .... 73
Discovery and progi*ess of the art in Europe, . . . 85
Introduction of Printing in England, 125
Account of the first English Printers, 133
List of the first Printers in Europe, Asia, Africa and
America, . 141
Miscellaneous Observations, 158
On Printers and Printing in Europe, . . . ibid
. Stereotype Printing, . . do 161
. Logographic do. . . . do 168
. Engraving Machine, . . do ibid
. Ancient Engraving, . . do 170
. Modern . do, ... do 181
. Printing Presses, ... do 185
VI CONTENTS.
Page.
Introduction of the ait into Spanish America, . . . 189
Mexican editions of books, 194
Peruvian . . do 196
Introduction of Printing into Portuguese America, . 201
English America, . . 203
the art in Newengland, ibid
General Remarks, 209
on Papermaking in the United States, . 211
Type Foundries, . . do. . . . 213
Stereotype Printing, .do. . . . 215
Engraving, ... do. . . . ibid
. : . . . . Printing Presses, . . do. . . . 220
Printing in Massachusetts, . . . 220
Printers, . . do 227
Catalogue of books first printed in Cambridge by Daye, 23 1
Books printed by Samuel Green in Cambridge, . . .252
Catalogue of books printed by Marmaduke Johnson
in do 273
Printers in Connecticut, 405
. . . Rhodeisland, 418
. . . Nevi^hampshire, 432
Notes, • 437
See INDEX at the end of Vol. II.
In page 68, r^ai—between the years 1428 and 1431.
PREFACE.
THERE is implanted in man by the alhvise Creator, a
principle which stimulates him to invention, and produces a
desire to communicate his discoveries to his contemporaries
and to posterity. With this natural disposition to invent,
and then to reveal the products of his ingenuity, is connected
an insatiable curiosity to become acquainted with the origin
and history of every discovery made by his fellow men.
In no condition of man are the first principles of the arts
and sciences vmknown ; which circumstance demonstrates
that the efforts of invention arise from natural propensities,
pei'petually stimulated by his desire to render his woi'ks more
perfect and useful. Rousseau says, " Man is employed, from
the first age of his being, in invention and contrivance."
As respects the communication of discoveries, it has been
the custom of all civilized nations to hand them down from
age to age by the pen of the scribe, and by the types of the
printer; and, even among savages, it is the office of particular
persons to chronicle, in their memories, the most interesting
occurrences and extraordinary events, in order that they may
be conveyed to future generations.
But notwithstanding all that has been done, to transmit to
us the history of the origin and progress of the arts, we are
still very deficient in this branch of knowledge. The Greeks
pretended to know the source, from whence every thing: was
8 PREFACE.
derived ; and it was, probably, to conceal their ignorance of the
riseof the arts, &c. that they assigned the invention of them
to fabulous personages of fabulous ages. — To Prometheus
they ascribed the discovery of fire ; to Ceres, or the Egyptian
Isis, the method of sowing wheat and barley; to Bacchus the
introduction of wine ; to Cadmus the art of carving, or stat-
uary, &c.
On the other hand it has been pretended that there never
was a first physician, statuary, architect, or asti'onomer ; but,
that each art and science has been the result of the combined
knowledge and application of a number of individuals who, in
most instances, succeeded each other. And, it is said, that
the progress of every art was a mystery to those who first
practised its rudiments. As an illustration of this position, it
is maintained, that he who invented an alphabet never thought
of a library so large as that oi Alexandria.
As the discovery of all those arts, which have a just claim
to antiquity, is involved in obscurity, we cannot wonder if
some dark clouds should render a view of the origin of Print-
ing indistinct. The following pages will shew, that the pre-
cise date of the invention of it in China cannot be ascertained;
and, that the first principles of it were known in Europe, and
in other parts of the world, from very remote ages ; and, long
before the reputed discovery of the art at Hacrlem by Lau-
RENTIUS.*
* In a work called the Cabinet, printed at Edinburgh, there is an
account that several plates have been found in the ruins of Hercu-
laneum, a city of the kingdom of Naples, supposed to have been
overwhelmed by the great eruption of Mount Vesuvius, A. D. 79,
on which plates were engraven the names of eminent men. By
means of these plates they were enabled to affix their signatures to
any paper, or parchment, with greater expedition than by writing
them. This was printing to all intents and purposes, but not ar-
ranged into that useful form wliich it lias now acquired.
Solomon has said, that "there is no new thing under the sun ;"
and DuTENS, in his Recherches sur les Dfcowvertrs attribues aux
Modernes, makes some observations, which are humiliating to the
vride of modern inventors. He affirms, *' there is scarcely one of
PREFACE. S
But whatever obscurity may rest upon the origin of Print-
ing, the invention has happily been the mean of effectually
perpetuating the discovery of all other arts, and of disseminat-
ing the principles by which they are accomplished. It is,
therefore, considered as the most important of them all. This
benefit which has afforded to the world, together Avith its use-
fulness in propagating knowledge of every kind to all classes
of men, has excited the attention, and engaged the patronage,
not only of monarchs and civil rulers,* but also of those who
have held the highest rank in literature ; and, has induced
authors in the civilized nations of the old world, where this art
has been introduced and established, to write histories of its
origin, and the various stages of improvement it has under-
gone, down to a certain period of time.
the discoveries attributed to the moderns, which had not been, not
only known, but also supported by the most solid reasonings of the
ancients."
The celebrated French academician Freret, much to the same
effect, observes, " Being, at this day, destitute of the works of the
ancient philosophers, we are, necessarily, ignorant of the methods
they followed in the arrangement and the connexion of their ideas ;
their systems are to us like those ancient statues of which only frag-
ments remain ; and, consequently, we have it not in our power to form
a complete judgment of them, unless we could restore tlie parts
which are lost. We owe the same justice to the ancient philoso-
phers as to the ancient sculptors ; we should judge of the parts
which are lost by those which remain, as it is reasonable to suppose
there was a mutual correspondence between them ; and, that a col-
lection of them would form a whole, which would be perfectly uni-
form and consistent. If the moderns have any advantage over the
ancients, it consists in their coming after them, and in travellino- in
roads which have been beaten and prepared by the ancients • and
by the advantages for instruction which we derive not only from
their discoveries, but, hkewise, from their errors."
* King George II, of England, it is said, entertained a great re-
gard for this art. In a London newspaper of February i6, I'l-ii is
the following paragraph—" A printing press, and cases for compos-
ing, were a few days since, put up at St. James's house for their
majesties to see the noble art of Printing. The royal family, and
several lords and ladies of the household, attended the exhibition
yesterday."
I B
JO PREPACE.
Amidst the darkness which surrounds the discovery of
many of the arts, it has been ascertained that it is prac-
ticable to trace the Introduction and progress of Printing, iri
die northern part of America, to the period of the revolution.
A history of this kind has not, until now, been attempted^
ivlthough the subject, in one point of view, is more interesting
to us than to any other nation. We are able to convey to pos-
terity, a c&rrect account of the manner in which we have
i^rown up to be an independent people, and can delineate the
progress of the useftd and pcJite arts among us, with a degree
of certainty which cannot be attained by the nations of the old
world, in respect to themselves.
I ani sensible that a work of this kind might, in other
hands, have been rendered more interesting. It has a long
time been the wish of many, that some person distinguished
for literature would bring it forward ; but, as no one has ap-
peared who Avas disposed to render this service to the repub-
lic of letters, the partiality of some of my friends led them to
entertain the opinion, that my long acquaintance with Printing
must have afforded me a knowledge of many interesting facts,
and pointed out the way for further inquiry, and that, therefore,
I should assume the undertaking. Thus I have been, per-
haps too easily, led to engage in a task which has proved more
arduous than I had previously appi-ehended; and which has
been attended with much expense.*
It is true, that in the course of fifty years, during which
I have been intimately connected with the art, I became
acquainted with many of its respectable professors ; some of
whom had, long before me, been engaged in business. From
* Few persons would form an idea of the cost which has attended
the collection of the information 1 have found it necessary to pro-
cure, from various parts of the continent. An entire sale of the
edition of this work would barely defray it. The purchase of vol-
Mtnes of old newspapers alone, hasre(iuircd a sum amounting to up-
wards of a thousand dollars. It is true, however, these volumes are
valuable; and, together with the collection previously owned by the
author, probably, constitute the largest library of ancient public jour-
nals, printed in America, which can be found in the United States.
PREFACE. 11
them I received information respecting the transactions and
events, which occurred in their own time, and also concern-
ing those, of which they received the details from their pre-
decessors. By these means I have been enabled to record
many circumstances and events, which must soon have been
buried in oblivion. My long acquaintance with printing, and
the researches I made in several of the colonies before the
revolution, certainly afforded me no inconsiderable aid in
this undertakings and, to this advantage, I may add, and
I do it with sincere and grateful acknowledgments, that I have
received the most friendly attention to my inquiries, from
gentlemen in different parts of the United States ; among
whom I must be permitted to name the following, viz. — Eb-
ENEZER Hazard, esq. and judge J. B. Smith, of P/uYarfe/-
phia; the hon. David Ramsay, of Charleston, Southcaroli-
na; rev. doctor 'Mi'L'L'f.K', oi JVewyork ; rev. Aaron Ban-
croft, andmr. William Sheldon, of Worcester ; the rev.
Thaddeus M. Harris, of Dorchester ; the rev. doctor John
Eliot, of Boston; and the rev. William Bentley, of Sa-
lem; Massachusetts. To these I must add, among the elder
brethren of the type, William Goddard and John Carter,
c?>(\T?,.oi Fro-uide?ice ; and mr. Thomas Bradford, and the
late mr. James Humphreys, of Philadelphia. Many others
belonging to the profession, in various parts of the union, have
iaid me under obligations for the information they have giv-
en me.
Through the politeness of various gentlemen, I have had
access to the ancient MS. records of the counties of Middle-
sex and Suffolk, in Massachusetts, where Printing was first in-
troduced to this country ; to those of the colony of Massachu-
setts, and of the university of Cambridge ; and, also, to those
of the United Newenglaiid Colonies ; all of the seventeenth
century ; — likewise, to the records of several of the southern
states; and, to many of the principal libraries, in different parts
of the United States. From these documents and institu-
tions I have obtained much valuable intelligence.
Yet, notwithstanding all these advantages, I have experi-
enced much difficulty in collecting, through this extensive
countr)', the facts which relate to the introduction of the art
12 FRETACE.
of Printing in the several states. These facts were all to be
sought for, and the inquiry after them had so long been neg-
lected, that the greater part of them uould soon have passed
beyond the reach of our researches. Most of the printers,
mentioned in these volumes, have long since been numbered
with the dead, and of whom many were but little known while
living; yet, the essential circumstances respecting them, as
connected with the art, will, I believe, be found in the follow-
ing pages ; although I cannot flatter myself that they will be
entirely free from unintentional errors or omissions.*
The length of time devoted to collecting materials for
this histoiy, has prevented my paying so much attention
as was necessary for the revision of it. I make no preten-
sions to elegance of diction ; but had I not been pressed by
advancing age, and a multiplicity of domestic concerns, I
might, perhaps, have attempted some improvements in the
phraseology, although I should not, probably, have altered the
general arrangement. As it is, the reader will receive a
simple and unadorned statement of facts ; and to his judgment
and candor I submit the work in its present state. Should
any object that the statements, respecting some persons men-
tioned in these pages, are rather unfavorable to their charac-
ters, I can only assure them that they are such as came to my
hands, and that I have " neither extenuated, nor set down
aught in malice." My first object has been to publish noth-
ing but historical truth. The satires and lampoons which
were published during the war, had their effects, but they will
now pass only " for what they are worth ;" and will not affect
the moral character of any man. I introduced some of them
with a view to give a true idea of the spirit of the press in
those times.
* Those who discover errors, and such as can add to the inform-
ation contained in this work, are requested to acquaint the author
therewith, by letter ; as it is his intention to make every necessary
correction and amendment, which from time to time may come to
his knowledge, in a copy he has appropriated to this purpose ; in
-order, that if, hereafter, another edition should be called for, the
corrections, &rc. may appear therein.
PREFACE, 13
The reader will perceive that I have followed the common
practice of the writers on Printing, and have traced the art
from the period of the discovery of it in Europe ; but I am
persuaded that few will consider tliis as a work of supereroga-
tion; for although histories of the origin and progress of
Printing have been written by several eminent men in Europe,
yet, I presume, that the reader will prefer having a view of
the whole subject laid before him ; especially, as it will be
very difficult and expensive to procure the works of those Eu-
ropean writers. I have, therefore, endeavored to comprise
within a few pages, the substance of many volumes published
on the subject ; and, I conceive this compressed statement
will give a new, and, I hope, a clear view, of the discoveiy
and progress of the art on the other side of the Atlantic*
An account of the Origin of Books, and of the arts of Pa-
permaking, Engraving, Sec. which are intimately connected
with Printing, were, by several of my friends, recommended
to my attention ; and, I flatter myself, that the introduction of
these subjects into the work, will prove to be not altogether
uninteresting, or inapplicable.
In the notice I have taken of ancient and modern books,
and of the arts of Printing, Engraving, Sec. if the reader should
not think the observations important, I am persuaded he will
find some which are new.
It may be thought that I have given in the account of the
printing and the printers of this country, too much attention
to some circumstances that are not generally interesting. Eu-
ropean writers, however, have been very precise in such par-
* One of the ancient fathers, by way of apology for publishing
a book on a subject that had been treated of largely by others,
observed, " This advantage we owe to the multiplicity of books on
the same subject, that one falls in the way of one man, and another
best suits the level or comprehension of another. Every thing that
^ written, does not come into the hands of all ; perhaps, says he,
some may meet with my book who may hear nothing of others,
which have treated better of tlie same subject. It is of service,
therefore, that the same subject be handled by several person* and
that the explications of difficulties and arguments for the truth may
icome to the knowledge of every one by one way or other."
{_Encyc!op, Ext,
li PREFACE.
ticulars, and I have thought it best to follow their example.
It will be recollected that things have a relative importance ;
and minute circumstances often serve to elucidate a subject.
To inquisitive minds, even the Jmfirints and Colofihons to old
gazettes and books, are more interesting than any thing which
could now be written ; they carry us back to the time when
those publications first appeared — the publishers of them
seem to sf)eak to us in their own persons — they take us to the
very spot Avhere they printed, and shew us things as they
were ; in a word, these are images of antiquity which we can-
not in any other way so accurately delineate as by reprinting
them.* They are, therefore, in every instance, copied with
exactness, as are also extracts from ancient printed books and
manuscript records. In such quotations, both the orthogra-
phy and syntax of the original works from which they Avere
taken, whether in English or in other languages, have been
carefully preserved, and may, therefore, in these cases, ac-
count for misspelling.
In the arrangement of the work, the memoirs of printers
follow each other in the order of time in which the subjects
of them began business in the respective towns or cities where
they resided.
* What is denominated an Imprint by printers, is the informa-
tion given, commonly at the foot of the title page of a book, where,
and by whom, it was printed and sold, the date of printing, &c.
Formerly imprints were placed at the conclusion ot the text, or at
the end of a volume, with, or without, a colophon.
Colophon, is a word derived from a city of that name in Asia,
where the artists of all descriptions were exceedingly expert, inso-
much that KoXoipwva e7r*7»9E»«i, became a proverb among the Greeks ;
signifying «//i;reflwz manumimponere, to put the finishing hand to any
thing. The same idea was implied by the word Colophonem among
the Romans; and, hence our ancient typographical fathers usually
concluded the books they printed with an article written by them-
velvcs, expressing the time they had spent in printing them ; tho
labor and expense attending the business; the patronage they had
received from great men ; some observations respecting the nature
of the work, or the design of the author, or translator, in having it
published, &c. accompanied by pious ejaculations. These conclu-
sions, or finishings of the work, they culled Colophons.
PREFACE. 15
The biographical sketches of printers are principally con-
fined to their professional concerns, and to such events as are
connected with them.
Newspapers ai'e placed in the proper order of succession,
or agreeably to the periods in which they wei*e established in
the various cities, towns, Sec.
The narratives respecting such persons as remained in
business after the American revolution, and such newspapers
as were continued after this event, are brought down to the
time when those printers quitted business, or died, or these
publications were discontinued. From the settlement of the
country to the establishment of the independence of the Unit-
ed States, few Printers, and not many Newspapers, have, I
believe, escaped my observation ; and, I may venture to as-
sert that the data respecting them are as correct, as can, at this
period of time, be obtained by the researches of an individual.
Histories of printing in Europe, end at the period when the
art became generally diffused over that quarter of the globe;
that is, at the close of the fifteenth century. Historians who
have written on the subject of Printing, in particular king-
doms, have observed the same rule ; indeed, when an art be-
comes generally known through a country, it is no longer
necessary to trace its course.
The history of printing in America, I have brought down
to the most important event in the annals of our country — the
Revolution. To have continued it beyond this period, all
will admit would have been superfluous.
From the consideration that the press, and particularly
the newspapers to which it gave birth, had a powerful influ-
ence in producing the revolution, I have been led to conceive
there would be much propriety in giving accounts of the pros-
ecutions of printers for publishing Libels, which occurred un-
der the several colonial governments. Articles of this descrip-
tion, will be found in such parts of this work as contain me-
moirs of the Printers who were prosecuted, or descriptions of
the Newspapers in which the supposed libels were published.
With a view to gratify the admirers of typographical anti-
quities, I have, in several instances given, as accurately as the
16 PRLFACE.
nature of the case would admit, representations of the titles of
the most ancient Newspapers ; from which a tolerable idea
may be formed of the fashion of the originals.
Altliough a work of this nature may be principally inter-
esting to the professors of the typographic art, yet the facts
relating to printing are necessarily connected with others
which I have thought it proper to enlarge upon. This cir-
cumstance may render these volumes amusing to the man of
letters, and not altogether uninteresting to the antiquary.
I devoted some time to obtain a correct account of the
booksellers in Boston ; it having been my intention to take
notice of all who were in the trade from the first settlement of
each colony to the year 1775 ; but I discovered that particular
information from other states respecting many, who, in this
character, have passed over the stage of life, could not be pro-
cured, therefore, the statement is not so complete as I
intended it should be. But supposing that the particulars
which I have collected may afford some gratification, I have
annexed them to this work.*
I will conclude by remarking, that in the account of print-
ers and newspapers, I have not thought it necessary to attempt
the avoidance of a repetition of the same terms; indeed, I
much doubt if our language afibrds a sufficient variety for the
purpose of changing the phraseology in the narratives given
of a great number of persons, or things, which are alike in
their nature, professions, or descriptions.
If this work should fall into the hands of critics who may
feel disposed to treat it with severity ; in case I have not
already said enough to ensure their forbearance, I beg leave
to inform the liberal and ingenuous writers who " assume the
critic's noble name," that I will readily coiTect all errors
which may be candidly pointed out to me ; and, that I will
bear all "just reproof with decent silence."
I. THOMAS.
IForccsfcr, May 7, 1810.
• It was my dcsip;n to have given a catalogue of the books
printed in the English colonies previous to the revolution ; finding,
however, tliat it would enlarge this work to another volume, I have
deferred the publication ; but it may hereafter appear.
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Books being the great offspring of the press,
before I enter into the history of Printing, it may
be proper to state the advantages and disadvantages
commonly imputed to books ; and, give a detail of
their mechanical construction, and the materials
whereof they are composed.
Of Books.
AT different periods of time objections have been
urged against books and learning, the principal of
which are, that they may be employed to excite the
evil passions, and propagate heresy and impiety ;
that they may be used for the purpose of imposing
on the people ; and the famous John of Gaunt, duke
of Lancaster was of opinion, that books are perni-
cious, because they have a tendency to make people
idle.
But, if books may be employed for ill purposes,
they are much oftener used for those which are good.
They are the chief instruments of acquiring knowl-
1 c
18 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
edge ; they are the repositories of the laws, and ve-
hicles of learning of every description ; our religion
itself is contained in books, and without them, says
Bai-tholin, " God is silent, Justice dormant. Physic
at a stand, Philosophy lame, Letters dumb, and all
things involved in Cimmerian darkness." The
eulogia which have been bestowed upon books
are numberless ; they ai'e represented as *' the ref-
uge of truth, when it is banished out of conversa-
tion ; as standing counsellors and preachers, always
at haiid, and always disinterested ; having this advan-
tage over all other modes of instruction, that they are
ready to repeat theii' lessons whenever we have oc>
casion for them." They supply the want of mas-
ters, and even, in some measure, of genius and in-
vention, and can raise the dullest persons, who have
memory, above the level of the greatest geniuses
which are destitute of the aid of books. " Perhaps
their gi-eatest glory is the affection borne to them
by same of the greatest men." The devotion of the
renowned Scipio for them was so great, that he pre-
ferred their company to- that of living beings, and
used to say,, that " through their means he was nev-
er less alone than when by himself;" to him may
be added, M. Cato, the elder Pliny, the emperor
Julian, and many other distinguished chai'acters,
Richard Bury, bishop of Durham and lord chan-
cellor of England, wrote a treatise expressly on the
love of books.
As to their being a source of idleness, that is
contradicted by the experience of all ages, and the
examples of eminent men. If Anaxagoras, througli
a love of contemplation, neglected his worldly aifairs.
OF BOOKS. 19
he has had but few imitators- Many illustrious
Romans could be mentioned who alternately'follow-
cd the plough, harangued in the forum, and com-
manded armies, who were attentive to books. The
patriarchs and the inspired psalmist were eminent
men, yet did they not neglect tlieir business as
shepherds ; and St. Paul, an eminent scholar, was
a tentmaker. Cleanthes was a gardener's laborer ;
Esop and Terence were slaves. Augustus Cesar
had his garments spun and wove in his own house.
Mahomet kindled his own fire, swept the floor, milk-
ed his ewes, and mended his shoes and his woollen
garment with liis own hands. Charlemagne made
a law to regulate the sale of his eggs ; and of Gus-
tavus Vasa, it is said that " a better laborer never
struck steel." Although most of these great
characters had much acquaintance witli books, yet
that circumstance did not prevent their attendance
on the most minute of theii' public or private con-
cerns.
We must admit, however, that the paths of
knowledge are not entirely free from difficulties or
causes of regret. The more a man knows, the more
fully will he be convinced of the circumscribed lim-
its of the human understanding, which are confined,
principally, to this earth, and to a very contracted
viev/ of the transactions of men which h^vc taken
place in the course of some thousands of yeai's.
The infinity of space, the remote, if not tlie bound-
less ages of antiquity, are, as it were, before him,
but must for ever remain unexplored and unknown,
although they are not entirely impervious to conjec-
ture. It is a cause of regret that Homer did not
20 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
enlarge on the subject of the Atlantic Island ;* that
Solon did not finish his poem of the Atlantides, and
that Plato did not complete his Timaeus, which
would have contained all the information he obtain-
ed from the wise men of Egypt on that interesting
part of the history of the world. It occasions regret
that the three great libraries of Alexandria were de-
* The Atlantic Island, or continent, was supposed to have
been situated where the Atlantic Ocean now is. There are
several hints in ancient authors respecting the Atlantides, a
people said to inhabit that country. Plato, who lived about
four hundred years before the time of Christ, gave some ac-
count of them in one of his dialogues ; he intended to have
given a full account of them in his Timaeus, but he did not live
to finish the work. He had his account of them from the wise
men of Sais, in Egypt. The particulars he has written con-
cerning their cities, buildings, Sec. are more like romance than
history. Among other things he mentions, that they invaded
Greece with a powerful army some thousands of years before^
his time. In Gen. x. 25, there is mention made of Peleg the
sonofEber, who was so called because in his days the earth
was divided. From this passage some learned men have in-
ferred that anterior to that period the country of the Atlantides,
was joiiied to Europe ; and that, by some great convulsion of
nature, it was then disjoined and torn from Europe and Afri-
ca, removed farther west, and was this identical continent of
America.
The Rev. Samuel Mather, of Boston, who nearly forty
years since, wrote a small, but ingenious treatise, intitled,;
" America known to the Ancients," appears to have been of
opinion, that the posterity of Japhet, by INIagog, were the pri-
mary inhal)itants of America.
Should this be true, this country was, thousands of years
since, inhabited by a renowned and warlike people, who were
well qualified to make those ancient encampments, the re-
n>ains of which have lately been discovered.
OF BOCTKS. f?l
stroyed ; first, by the Gentile Cesar ; secoixlly, by
the Christian Theophilus ; and thirdly, by the Ma-
hometan Amrou, by order of the Saracen caliph
Ornai'. The contents of those libraries might have
thrown light on the history of the Atlantides, and
many other curious facts, which ai*e, for ever, sunk
in oblivion.
The Goths and Mahometans ai-e not the only
people who ai-e to be blamed for the destruction of
ancient manuscripts. Many, very many, valuable
works have been destroyed by the Popes, and other
intolerant bigots among Christians. These things
are to be regretted, and particulai'ly the burning of
the library of the Escurial, which contained the
learning of the Moors in Spain. The superstitious
priests who followed Columbus to America, in their
zeal to promote the Christian religion, destroyed
the ancient records of the natives, depictured and
perpetuated by hieroglyphics, which in fact gave
the history of that part of this immense continent ;
but which the Spanish priests supposed were used
in the rites and ceremonies of Paganism, and believ-
ed them to be the works of the devil, with whom
they imagined the Mexicans had leagued them-
selves.*
To get wisdom, is not only pleasant and conven-
ient, but it is a duty frequently enjoined in holy
VJYit.-^Happy is the man xvho findeth wisdom^ and
the man who getteth understanding. For the mer-
chandise of it is better than the 7nerchandise of sil-
ver^ and the gain thereof than fne gold. She is more
precious than rubies ; and all the things thou const
* Clavigero's Hist, of Mexico,
22* HISTORY OF PRINTING.
desire, are not to be compared unto her. Proverbs
iii. 13-^15.
HoAv great then are our obligations to the in-
ventors of the art of Printing, who have rendered
wisdom easy of attainment, and given us an im-
mense advantage over the ancients, who
Wand'ring from clime to clime observant strayM,
Their manners noted and their states survey'd.*
Like the bees, they were obliged to collect their
sweets by roving from flower to flower ; but we
come at once to the hive, and get our fill without
difficulty or labor. Lycurgus and Pythagoras were
oblige<d to travel into Egypt, Persia and India, to
learn the doctrine of the Metempsychosis, the prin-
ciples of Zoroaster and the Gymnosophists. Solon,
Plato, and most of the ancient sages and philoso-
phers, were under the necessity of seeking the wis-
dom of Egypt in Sais, and other Egyptian cities.
Herodotus and Strabo, had to collect their materials
for history and geography from the observations
they made in their travels. Till within the last
three hundred and forty yeai's,t there were no print-
ed books in our language ; they were all wTitten ;
and being scarce and of great price, were conse-
quently in but few hands ; the means of knowledge
were then very inconsiderable, compaied with what
they aie at present. If a man wanted to become ac-
• Pope's Odyssey. B. I.
t The first book known to be printed in English was, The
History of Troy, translated from the French by William Cax-
ton, at Cologne, and by him printed in that city, anno 1471.
Of BOOKS. 23
quainted with the history of any particular country,
or to gain other useful information, perhaps he had
to travel several hundreds of miles to get sight of
some manuscript which related to, or explained the
subject matter of inquiry. But we are contempo-
raries of all ages, and citizens of all nations. We
can ti-avel much farther than did Jason or Ulysses ;
and by our fire sides extend our acquaintance to
the regions they visited ; where we can also scan the
great Southern Ocean with Drake, Bougainville,
Cook, and many other circumnavigators ; and be-
come acquainted with the history, geography, laws,
manners and products of all the known nations of
the earth, in company with a vast number of well
informed ancient and modern travellers. We aspire
with Copernicus, Gallileo, Huygens, and Newton,
to explore the infinite regions of space, and to as-
certain ** what other systems circle other suns.'*
We soar with Leibnitz, or Locke, into the regions
of metaphysics ; or descend with Woodward, or
Buffon, De Luc, or Whitehurst, to an examination
of organic structures on the face of the earth ; or
search beneath its surface, and discover the ruins of
antiquity, which have been ludden for ages. We
survey superfices and solid contents with Fergusson,
De la Hire, or Herschel ; or, enter into the chym-
ical analysis of matter with Priestley or Lavoisier.
Books afford us opportimities to become acquainted
with all subjects, recondite and familiar — ^with the
religions of all ages and nations^ — ^with the institu-
tions of Moses, and of Lycurgus— with the Theog-
ony of Hesiod, and the Mythology of Homer. We
leani to revere the happy influences of genuine re-
24 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
ligion ; and to detest the baneful operations of big*
otiy, enthusiasm, superstition and infidelity.
Such are the benefits we derive from books ;
and, as it respects the gi'eat body of the people,
nearly all these advantages result from Printing ; for
without this discovery few would have been able to
procure even a Bible, a manuscript copy of which
must have cost, perhaps, five or six hundred dol-
lai's.
At the present period of light and information,
we can easily conceive of the shackles which retard-
ed the progress of the human mind, in its researches
after truth, before the invention of the ars artium.
Ancient authors had no means of conveying to
the world the knowledge they had acquired ; they
could, it is true, transcribe a few copies of their
works, which, in circumstances the most favorablcj
could only reach a very few libraries of the most
wealthy in a kingdom, and then, perhaps, were
doomed to pei-petual rest, or subjected to be de-
stroyed by the caprice of the powerful > and the pre-
judices of the illiterate.
Printing removed the veil which obscured the
reason of man ; it broke the chain that bound him
in superstition. By multiplying copies of the labors
of the learned, and dispersing those copies over the
earth, even to its remotest regions, he was enabled
to search after truth in religion, in philosophy, in
politics ; and, improvement in the mechanic arts.
The advantages of books to society, have been
a theme which has employed the pens of many writ-
ers, from the time of the origin of Printing to the
present day.
OF BOOKS. ^S
A celebrated modern French author,* thus ele-
gantly describes the benefits which the world has al-
ready received from the invention and progress of
the art, by augmenting the number of books.
" Printing has been applied to so many subjects ;
books have so rapidly increased, they have been so
admirably adapted to every taste, eveiy degree of in-
formation, and every situation of life ; they afforded
so easy, and frequently so delightful, an instruction ;
they have opened so many doors to truth, which it
is impossible ever to close again, that there is no
longer a class or profession of mankind from whom
the light of knowledge can absolutely be excluded.
Accordingly, though there may still remain a mul-
titude of individuals condemned to a forced or vol-
untary ignorance, yet the barrier between the en-
lightened and unenlightened proportion of mankind
is nearly effaced, and an insensible gradation occu-
pies the space which separated the two extremes of
genius and stupidity."!
An English divine,^ whose Essays ai'e well
known and approved by the leai^ned and pious, is
* M. de Condorcet, in his " Outlines of an Historical
View of the Progress of the Human Mind."
t These distinctions between genius and stupidity have been
revived within the course of a few centuries in Europe where,
in the dark ages, all were reduced to nearly the same level of
ignorance and brutality. Lord Lyttleton, in his life of Hen-
ly II, informs us, that in the reign of King Stephen, in the
twelfth century, it was considered as a mark of nobility not to
know a letter. This was before the discovery of Printing in
Europe.
i Di'. Vicessimus Knox.
1 D
26 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
one among many who inform us of the benefits
which Chi'istianity has derived from the increase of
books ; as well as the great utility of Printing to the
literaiy and political world, notwithstanding the
abuse of it by the artful and licentious. The obser-^
vations of this ^bje and pleasing writer are these,
viz.
" To the art of printing, it is acknowledged we
OAve the reformation. It has been justly remarked,
that if the books of Luther had been only multi*
plied by the slow process of handwriting, they
must have been few, and would liave been easily
suppressed by the combination of wealth and pow*
er ; but, poured forth in abundance from the press,
they spread over the land with the rapidity of an in*
undatron, which acquires additional force from the
efforts used to obstruct its progress. He who un-
dertook to prevent the dispersion of the books once
issued from the press, attempted a task no less ar-
duous than the destruction of the hydra. Resist-
ance was vain, and religion was reformed ; and we,,
who are chiefly interested in this happy revolution^
must remember, amidst the praises bestowed on
Luther, that his endeavors had been ineflfectual, un-
assisted by the invention of Faustus.
" How greatly the cause of religion has been
promoted by the art, must appear when it is consid-
ered that it has placed those sacred books in the
hands of every individual, which, besides that tliey
were once looked upon in a dead language, could not
be procured without great difficulty. The numer-
ous comments on them of every kind, which tend
to promote piety, and to form tlie Christian phi-
OF HOOKS,
St
lOfSOphcr, would prol)iihly never hnvc been com-
posed, and c.ertainl}' would not h^vv extended theif
iK'neficial influenec, if typofjpaphy had still been un>
known. By that art, the ligiht, whieh is to illnmin-
fite a dark world, has been plaeed in a situation
more advantageous to the emission of its rays ; but
if it has been the means of illustratinp; the doetrincs,
and enForeinc^ the practice of reliji^ion, it has also,
piuticnlarly in the pa^s<Mit ap;e, struck at the root of
piety and moral virtue, !)y propagating; opinions fti-
vorable to the sceptic and the >'oluptuary. It has
enabled modern authoi's, ^vantonly to J^ratify their
avarice, their vanity, and their misanthropy, in dis-
^minatinu; novel systems, subversixe of the dii!;ni-
ty and happiness of human nature. But though the
perversion of the ait is lamentably remarkable in
fhose volumes which issue, Mith ofTi nsive profusion,
from the vain, the wicked, and the hungry, yet this
^ood results from the evil, that as truth is great and
will prevail, she must derive iresh lustre, by display-
ing the superiority of her strength, in the conflict
with sophistr}'.
*' Thtis the art of Printing, in whatever light it is
viewed, has deserved respect and attention. From
the ingemiity of the contrivance, it has ever excited
mechanical curiosity ; from its intimate connexion
with learning it has justly claimed historical notice ;
and from its extensive influence on morality, poli-
tics, and religion, it is now become a subject of very
important speculation.
" But, however we may felicitate mankind on
the invention, there are those, ])erhaj)s, who wish
that, together with its compatriot ait of manufactur-
28 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
ing gunpowder, it had not yet been brought to light.
Of its effects on literature, they assert, that it has
increased the number of Books, till tliey distract,
rather than improve the mind ; and, of its malignant
influence on morals they complain, that it has often
introduced a false refinement, incompatable with the
simplicity of primitive piety and genuine virtue.
With Inspect to its literary ill consequences, it may
be said that though it produces to the world an in-
finite number of worthless publications, yet true
wit and fine composition will still retain their A^alue,
and it will be an easy task for critical discernment
to select these from the surrounding mass of absur-
dity ; and though, with respect to its moral effects, a
regard to truth extorts the confession, that it has dif-
fused immorality and irreligion, divulged with cruel
im.pertinence the secrets of private life, and spread
the tale of scandal tlii'ough an empire ; yet, these are
evils which ^vill either shrink away unobserved in
the triumphs of time, and truth over falsehood ; or,
which ma}^, at any time, be suppressed by legisla-
tive interposition,"
The Materials of xvhich Books have been made,
THE methods of making books, and the materi-
als of Avhich they ^\'ere composed, have been various
in different ages of the world. Our progenitors ap-
pcLU- to have been desirous of transmitting tlieir
knowledge and discoveries down to posterity ; for
that purpose they have successively used the ma-
OF BOOKS. 29
terials which they called folium, tabula, tilia, or phi-
lyra, scheda, codex, liber, biblos, &c.
A very ancient method was, that of spreading
wax on wood made into thin boards, and writing on
them with the stylus ; the boards were strung to-
gether, and thus made books. At other times the
stylus was employed on thin sheets of lead, on ivo-
ry, the bark of trees, on spade bones, which were
strung together, until they were supplanted by the
Egyptian papyrus*, which made decent books.
That article, however, was not produced in suffi-
cient quantities to furnish the literary nations of an-
tiquity ; therefore parchment was used in many
countries ; the invention of which has been ascrib-
ed to Eumenes king of Pergamus.
But there are those who doubt whether Eume-
nes was the original inventor — it must have been
known long before his time ; for mention is made of
it by more ancient authors. The prophecy of Jer-
emiah was written, by Bai'uch, in a roll of a book^
which could not have been the linen roll made use
of in less ancient times. Some have supposed that
the book of the law of Moses must have been of
parchment, or it could not have lasted so many ages
* In the 2 1 st Odyssey of Homer it is mentioned, that when
Ulysses was preparing for the destruction of the suitors of
Penelope, Philaetius fastened the gate of the palace yard with
a cable made of the biblos, which was brought from Egypt^
this seems to imply that the papyrus became an article of com-
inerce much earlier than most antiquarians seem to have imag-
ined— and from the Greek word biblos, being applied to it by
Homer, we may conclude that books were made of it be-
fore his time.
30 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
as it did. What king Eumenes did, was, probably,
nothing more than to make an improvement on
parchment, which from him came to be called Fe?'-
gamena. The occasion was this — Eumenes was
ambitions to rival the Alexandrian library, founded
by Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Eg}^pt ; but, in
order to circumvent him, Ptolemy prevented the
exportation of the papyrus, that Eumenes might not
find a substance on which his scribes might copy
tlie books ; upon which Eumenes directed them to
make use of parchment, which many suppose was
then ^'ery well knoivn — ^and, as his scribes became
so familiar \nX\i it, we cannot wonder they hit upon
some improvement. In process of time the papy-
rus, perhaps on account of the troubles of Egypt,
grew into disuse, and parchment supplied tlie place
of it, msomuch tliat nearly all tlie ancient manu-
scripts which have been handed down to us are made
of that material. There are some in differeiit parts
of the world, which are from twelve to fifteen hun-
dred years old ;* some of them are in the shape of
* See Wctsteiii, Woidc, Griesbach, Michaelis, Sec. on the
Alexandrian manuscript, in tlie British Museum, of which
Dr. Woide published an edition in 1786, with tj-pes cast for
the purpose, line for line, without intervals between the words,
as in the manuscript itself. This copy is so perfect an imita-
tion of the original, that it might supply its place. Its title is,
.Yovum Testamentvm Gnecum Codice. MS. Alexandrino qui
LoTid'mi in Bibliotheca Muaci Britannici asservatur descrip-
tum. It is a very splendid folio, asnd the preface of the learn-
ed editor contains an accurate description of the manuscript,
^vllich is wipposed by many critics, to be about 1 500 yeai^
old. Considerable dispute, howcter, has arisen respecting its
antiquity.
OF BOOKS. 31
our quarto books, and many of them are considera-
bly larger. Some wiitings were made on rolls of
parchment down to the period of the invention of
printing. Such are the British rolls of parliament,
for the care of which an ojBicer is appointed by the
British government, who is called the Master of the
Rolls.
That Eumenes, king of Pergamus, was not the
inventor of parchment, appeal's clear ; because Dio-
dorus Siculus says, it was used by the Persians in
very ancient times ; and, Herodotus remarks, that
the skins of sheep and goats were used among the
ancient lonians long before the time of Eumenes.
Some have concluded that it was not known among
the members of the Amphictionic league, because
they engraved their ancient treaties on columns ;
but that was done with a view to make them more
public and durable ; and it might be for the same
reason that the children of Seth, as mentioned by
Josephus, wrote, or engraved, their astronomical
discoveries on columns. The vinriting of the law of
Moses on two tables of stone, does not prove that
parchment was not then in use j for Moses mentions
some books ; and the book of Jasher^ is mentioned
in Joshua, &c. and as it is believed that Moses was
the author of the book of Job,t we may, from the
* Joshua X. 13. — See also Gen. v. 1. — Exod. xvii. 14. —
Numb. xxi. 14. — Deut. xxxi. 84, 26 Josh, xviii. 9. —
1 Sam. X. 25,&c.
t Commentators on the book of Job have differed respecting
the author ; some ascribing it to Moses, some to Job, and oth-
ers to Eliphaz the Temanite. The Rabbins, and the gener-
ality of Christians, consider MQses as the writer of it.
32 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
exclamation, O that mine adversary had wriffe?t
a book! presume that in those days the mak-
ing of books was a familiar practice. Indeed
from another passage in Job, chap. xix. v. 23,24,
it might be presumed that all the different modes of
wTiting, as well as printings eJigrav'mg and book-
making were known in those days; for he says,
Oh that my xvords were now written ! Oh that they
wa-e printed iji a book! That they were graven
with an iron pen [the stylum] and lead, i?i the rock
for ever !
The Greeks had many authors before the time
of Homer, such as Orpheus, Musasus, Hennes, and
sixty or seventy more, who are mentioned by an-
cient writers ; and, some ai'e of opinion, that Homer
lived much earlier than is generally supposed. His
works were wTitten, according to some authors,
in tablets of wood covered with wax. The writ-
ings of Hesiod, which were deposited in the Tem-
ple of the Muses in Boeotia, were originally
\^Titten upon plates of lead. These facts seem to
prove that in the time of the most ancient Greek
authors, paixhment and the papyrus were unknown ;
but there can be no doubt that the skins of beasts
prepaixd either as leather or pai-chment, were known
before the time of Alexander, and, consequently,
prior to the pretended invention of Eumenes.
Solomon was a great maker of books ; for he
spake three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a
thousand and fve.^' He also wTotc upon natural
history, trees, plants, herbs, beasts, fowls, insects
*1 Kings, iv. 32.
OF BOOKS.TC 33
and fishes ; and he was acquamted with the works
of learned men of other nations. He was a gi-eat
author ; but at last he found his subjects so inex-
haustible, that he came to the conclusion that, " in
making many books there is no end.''''^ It is sup-
posed that Solomon was contemporary with Zoroas-
ter,! the founder of the Magian religion, in Persia ;
that he wrote his book of Ecclesiastes against the
dogmas of Zoroaster ; and, it is probable, he had
those works written on parchment, according to the
custom of Persia. Therefore, supposing pai'chment
had not been introduced into Judea, previously to
his time, we cannot suppose that a king, who was
acquainted with all the rich productions and luxu-
ries of the world, could remain ignorant of so great
a convenience. We cannot, indeed, doubt that
parchment was, before his time, known by the Is-
raelites ; and, that it was used even in the times
when the Jews were liberally supplied with the pa-
pyrus from Egypt. It has continued in use from
those days until now ; and is still much used in Eu-
rope, in all records and legal transactions.
Paper, for more than two centuries, has been
employed in the manufacture of printed books.
* Eccles. xii, 12.
t We learn from ancient authors that tlie writings of Zoro-
aster amounted to two millions of lines, or verses, which
must have made a very considerable number of books. As it
has been affirmed there were many learned men of that name,
it is thought, by some, the writings of all have been imputed to
one of them. Seneca, in his Epistle Ixxxviii, mentions that
most of the 4000 volumes [perhaps pages] of Didymus, were
written concerning the birth place of Homer.
1 E
34 HISTORr OF PRINTING.
Numerous authors have written largely both with
respect to parchment and paper ; but, I will endeav-
or to comprise^ in a few pages, the substance of
what they have published in many volumes.
It is the opinion of many of those autliors, that
the art of making paper from silk and cotton, came,
like many of our arts, from the Chinese. The use
of it in Europe cannot b© traced higher than to the
eleventh centur}\ In England, the oldest testimony ,^
of paper, made from linen, does not ascend higher
tkm to the yciir 1320.
Of paper, there have been four principal kinds ;
Chinese, Japanese, Eg>^ptian, and European, wliich
were hivented in different periods of time.
As to the epocha when the Chinese paper was
invented, we are left in darkness ; nearly all we
know of the matter is, that the Chinese have had
the use of paper from time immemorial. They still
excel all other nations in the manufacture of it, so
far as relates to fineness, and delicacy of texture.
Silk is supposed to be lui ingredient in the manufac-
ture of the best Chinese paper.* Common paper
is manufactured in that country, from the young
bamboo, the inner bark of the mulberr}-, and other
trees, and from the skin which is found in the web
of the silk worm.
Paper is made, in Japan, from the baik of trees,
the growth of tiiat country. Kempfer describes
four, but the best paper is made of the bark of the
young shoots of the true paper tree, called in the
Japanese language kaadsi ; this bark is properly
* The Chinese have a book called Yexim, sukl to have beci>
written by their first king Fohi, abdut 3000 years bcibi e Christ.
OP BOOKS. 35
cleansed, and boiled in clear lye, till the matter ac-
quires a proper consistency ; it is then washed and
turned till it is sufficiently diluted, and reduced to
soft and tender fibres ; after this, it is laid on a
smootli table, and beaten with a kind of batoon of
hard wood, till it resembles paper steeped in water ;
the bark thus prepared is put into a narrow tub, and
a glutinous extract from rice and the root oreni, is
added. These are stirred together till they form a
liquor of an equal and uniform consistency ; then
poured into large tubs, and the workmen proceed
to form the slieets. The Japanese paper, according
to Kempfer, is of great sti'engtii ; and, it is said, the
materials which compose it might be manufactured
into ropes ; one kind of it is fit for bed hangings and
wearing appai-el, resembling so much stuffs of avooI
and silk that it is often mistaken for them. When
paper was first made in Japan cannot be known ; it
is believed they received tlie art from China.
In Egypt, the western parts of Asia, and the
civilized parts of Europe, it is probable, paper was
not known till long after it was discovered and used
in China. The ancients wrote on stones, bricks,
the leaves of trees, and flowers, the rind or bark of
trees, tables of wood covered over with wax,* and
on ivory, plates of lead, linen rolls, spade or blade
bones. Pliny says, the most ancient way of writing
was on the folium, or leaves of the palm tree. Then
they used the inner bark of a tree ; and hence, biblos
in Greek, and liber in Latin, came to signify a book.
When they wTote on harder substances, they used
* This method is mentioned by Homer.
36 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
iron styles, and from this circumstance, it is said,
came the plirase of different styles in ^vTiting.
According to Varro, paper was not made from
the Egyptian papyrus, till about the time that Alex-
ander the great built Alexandria. From the term
papyrus, is derived our word paper. The pap}Tus
was a laige rush, or reed, which grew in Egypt to
the height of several feet, and of a considerable big-
ness.* The Egyptians made sails, rigging, ropes,
mats, blankets, clothes ; also, small ships of the
stalks of the papyrus, and paper.
From Pliny,! Guilandinus and Salmasius, we
learn that the Egyptians made their paper in the fol-
lowing manner. They began with lopping oif tlie
t^vo extremities of the papyrus, namely, the head
and root, as of no use to the manufacturer ; the re-
maining stem they slit lengthwise, into two equal
parts, and from each of these they stripped the thin
scaly pellicles, of which it consisted, with the point
of a needle, or knife. The innermost of those pel-
licles were looked upon as the best, and those near-
est the rind, the worst. They were, accordingly,
kept apart, and constituted different sorts of paper.
As the pellicles were taken off they extended them
on a table ; then two, or more of them, were laid
over each other transversely, so as that the fibres
made right angles. In this state they were glued
together by the muddy ^vater of the Nile, and put
* It grew in marshes near the Nile, was of a triangulai'
shape, about fourteen feet high, and eighteen or twenty inches
in ciixumferencc.
t Pliny, lib. xiii. c. 2. '
OF BOOKS. 37
under a press to produce adhesion. When the wa-
ter and pressure proved ineffectual, a paste made of
the finest wheat flour, mixed with hot water, and a
sprinkling of vinegar, was used ; the sheets were
again pressed, and afterwards dried by the sun;
they were then flattened and smoothed by beating
them with a mallet, when they became paper;
which they sometimes polished by rubbing it with
a smooth hemisphere of stone, glass, &c.
Paper was an important branch of commerce to
the Egyptians, which continued to increase towards
the end of the Roman republic. In a letter of the
emperor Adrian, the preparing of the papyrus is
mentioned as one of the principal occupations in
Alexandria. " In this rich and opulent city," says
he, " nobody is seen idle ; some are employed in
the manufacturing of cloth, some in that of paper,"
&c. " The demand for this paper was so great to-
ward the end of the third century, that when the ty-
rant Firmus conquered Egypt, he boasted that he
had seized as much paper and size as would support
his whole army."*
By a publication of M. Meerman, at the Hague,
in 1767, it appears that paper made from linen rags
had been used in Europe before the year 1300.
The abbe Andrez published, at Parma, in 1782,
a work wherein he maintains, that paper made from
silk was very anciently fabricated in Chma, and the
eastern parts of Asia ; that the art of making this
paper was carried from China to Persia about the
year 652, and to Mecca in 706. The Arabs sub-
•Eucyc. Vol. I2.p. ros.
38 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
stitiited cotton, aiid carried the art of making paper
into Africa and Spain ; from Spain it passed into
France, from thence to Germany and England, &c.
The European paper made from bark, was only
the inner, whitish rmd inclosed between the bark
and the wood of various trees, particularly the ma-
ple, plane, beech, elm, the tilia, philyra or linden-
tree, the last of which was cliiefiy used for tlie pur-
pose. On this, stripped off, flatted and driod, the
ancients wrote books, several of which are said to
be still extant.
The j(3ojtA|3u0, or Cliarta Bombyciim, mentioned
by Greek -\\Titers, formerly w^as used to signify silk,
though afterwai'd the term was applied to cotton
paper, which Jias been in use for several centuries
past Cotton paper appeal's to have been veiy com-
mon eight or nine hundred years ago, consequently
it must have been invented long before. Anterior
to the destruction of the late French king's library,
at Paris, tliere were manuscripts in it on cotton pa-
per, which apjjeai^d to be of tlie eleventh century.
The learned antiquarian, father Montfaucon, saw
one there, proved to be written in 1050. The same
author mentions that cotton paper was commonly
used in the eastern empire, and even in Sicily, in the
twdftli centmy.
When, or by whom, linen paper was invented,
is not known ; as Polydore Virgil confesses, it may
be of great antiquity. If the Decalogue was written
on tables of stone, the laws of Solon on rollers of
wood, those of the Roman Decemvii's on brass, and
the ordinances of the Areopagus, and the various
treaties of the Greeks, were engraved on columns ;
OF BOOKS. 39
if monuments have been found with Egyptian hi-
eroglyphics, with Pelasgic, with Runic, characters
on them ; this does not prove that the ancients had
not more convenient materials to write on. The
quaint Dr. Arbuthnot says, that Augustus Cesai'
had neither glass to his windows, or a shirt to liis
back ; but however that may have been, linen was
made in very ancient times. There is mention
made of flax, and fine i'meji^ in the writings of
Moses,*
* Although Varro ascribes the manufacture of the papy-
rus to the time of Alexander ; yet, it is certain, they had paper
in much more ancient times ; and from their great ingenuity
in the manufacture of the linmn, or flax, in which they excelled
all people, both ancient and modern, we may presume they had
linen paper. The making of fine linen was a very important
branch of manufacture among the Egyptians, who were so ex-
pert at the business, that they carried it to a most wonderful
degree of perfection. It is related, that they could draw out
threads which were finer than the finest web of the spider.
The priests were always habited in linen, and never in wool-
len ; and, not only the priests but generally all persons of dis-
tinction wore linen garments. The ^ne linen of Egyfit was
renowned through all antiquity, and a most extensive trade in
it was carried on ; much of it being exported into foreign coun-
tries. The making of it employed a great number of hands.
Fine linen is the first aiticle of Egyptian commerce, mention-
ed by the prophet Ezekiel, chap, xxvii. 7, and the women
were much employed in the manufacture of it, as appears from
a passage in Isaiah, chap, xix, 9, in which the prophet me-
naces Egypt with a drought of so terrible a kind, that it should
interrupt every description of labor. Moreover, they that -work
infinejlaxn, and they that iveave net ivork, shall be confounded.
We find that one consequence of the plague of hail, brought
upon Egypt by Moses and Aaron, Exodus ix. 31, was, that
40 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
The following is the best evidence I have been
able to collect, respecting the invention of paper,
made from linen, in Europe ; which the reader will
see is not entirely free from contradiction.
Scaliger ascribes the invention to the Germans,
Maffei to the Italians, others to some Greek refu-
gees at Basil, who took the hint from the maimer of
making cotton paper in their own country ; Corin-
gius thinks we received it from the Arabs. Linen
paper appears to have been introduced into Europe,
about the fourteenth century, according to the Count
Maifei, who found no traces of it before the year
1300. Some go much farther back, and take the
libri lintei mentioned by Livy, and other Roman
writers, to have been -vvi'itten on linen paper. Oth-
ers, make the invention more modem than it is, as
can be clearly proved, for they date its origin only
about thi'ee hundred years ago : but Mabillon has
shewn the contraiy, from many manuscripts about
four hundred years old, written on linen paper ; and
Balbinus has produced divers instances of such man-
uscripts written before the year 1340. To this we
may add, that there are ^vi'itings on linen paper, in the
Cottonian Library at Oxford, in the times of most
the Jlax ivas smitten,, because it was boiled. The embroidered
•work from £gy/it, mentioned by Ezekiel, was made from the
finest of the Imen, and frequently died purple. This, in Pliny's
estimation, held the second rank ; the first place he gives to
the Asbestos, or Asbestinum, or incombustible flax. As there
was so much trade in flax and linen in Egypt, it is not unlikely
paper was made from it ; and this may account for the difficul-
ty the moderns have met with in tracing the origin of linen
paper.
OF BOOKS. 41
of the kings and queens of England, as high as the
year 1335. That celebrated historian and divine.
Dr. Humphrey Prideaux, wrote as follows, on this
subject.
" The invention of making linen paper, Mr.
Ray puts very late. For he tells us in his Herbal,
that it was not known in Germany till the year of
our Lord 1470 ; that then two men, named Antho-
ny and Michael, brought this art first to Basil, out
of Gallicia, in Spain, and that from thence it was
learnt and brought into use by the rest of the Ger-
mans. But there must be a mistake in this, there
being both ^vi'itten aixl printed books, as well as
manuscripts, of this sort of paper, which are cer-
tainly ancienter than the year 1470. There is
extant a book called Catholicon, written by Jacobus
de Janua, a monk, printed on paper, at Mentz, in
Germany, anno 1460 ; and therefore the Germans
must have had the use of this sort of paper long be-
fore Mr. Ray saith. And there ai'e manuscripts
that are written on this sort of paper, that are much
ancienter, as may be especially evidenced in several
registries within this realm [England] where the
dates of the instruments or acts registered prove the
time. There is in the Bishop's registry at Nor-
wich, a register book of wills, all made of paper,
wherein registrations ai'e made which loear date so
high up as the year of our Lord 1370, just an hun-
dred years before the time that Mr. Ray saith the
use of it began in Germany. And I have seen a
registration of some acts of John Cranden, prior of
P^l}% made upon paper, which beai' date in the four-
teenth year of king Edward tl^ie second, that is,
l" ' F
42 HISTORY OF PRINTIN-G.
Anno Domini 1320. This invention seems to have
been brought out of tlie East. For most of the old
manuscripts in Arabic, and other oriental languages,
which we ha\e from thence, ai'e A\Titten on tliis sort
of paper, and some of them are certainly much an-
cicnter than any of the times here mentioned about
this matter. But we often find them WTitten on pa-
per made of the paste of silk, as well as of Imen. It
is most likely the Saracens of Spain first brought it
out of the east into that country ; of which Gallicia
being a province, it might, from thence, according
to Mr. Ray, have been from tlience first brouglit
into Germany ; but it must have been much earlier
than the time he says."
This passage from that learned author, makes it
sufficiently clear, that the in^•ention of linen paper
was earlier tlian the period marked by several of the
autliors I have mentioned. His supposition, that it
'' came from the east," favors the opinion that it was
kno^vn in the east, and most likely in Egypt, from
very ancient times.
It is not only possible, but probable, that tlie
Egyptians made it some thousands of years since,
perhaps long before the}' manufactured the papyrus
from the fragments of their linen ; and, that they
made the pap}-rus for ordinary purjDoses, to which
it '»\ould have been extravagant to apply the paper
made from their fine linen.
Paper was, for near three hundred yeai's, manu-
factured on the continent of Europe in a much bet-
ter manner than in England. I have seen books,
printed at Paris about two hundi"ed and fifty years
ago, on paper A\hich appeal's to have been chiefiy
OF BOOKS. 43
made fi'om silk. It resembles the Chinese paper in
regard to its strength, delicacy of texture, and want
of whiteness. This shews that the French, as well
as the Dutch, had made great progress in the busi-
ness of papermaking, near three centuries back.
Till within the last century the Eliglish did very lit-
tle in this line of business ; but they now manufac-
ture paper in greater perfection than the Dutch,
from whom they formerly purchased the greatest
part of their fine paper.
From the preceding remarks it appeal's^ that
books were originally written on stone, bricks,
bones, wooden planks, bark, leaves, wax, leather,
lead, linen, silk, horn, skins and paper. The forms'
of books were almost as diflPerait as the materipJs of
which they were made. When bark was introduc-
ed, it was rolled up, in order to be removed with
greater ease ; the roll was called volunien, a volume ;
the name was continued afterwards to written rolls
of paper and parchment, which were composed of
several sheets fastened to each other, " and rolled
upon a stick, or umbilicus ; the whole making a kind
of column, or cylinder, which was to be managed
by the umbilicus as a handle, it being reputed a
crime to take hold of the roll itself; the outside of
the volume was called ^ro??^ ; the ends of the umbil-
icus, cornua^ which were usually cai'ved, and adorn-
ed with silver, ivory, or even gold and precious
stones ; the title, <ruXA«^o?, was struck on the outside ;
the whole volume, when extended, might make a
yard and a half in width, and fifty feet in length.
The form, which obtains among us, is the square,
composed of separate leaves ; this form was kno\vn,
44 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
though Httle used, by tlic aiicients. To the form of
books belongs, iilso, the internal economy, as the or-
der iuid iu-rangement of letters and points, into lines
iuid pages, Avith maigins and other appurtenants.
This has undergone many varieties ; at first, the let-
ters ^vere only divided into lines ; then into separate
words, Avhich, by degrees, were noted with accents,
and distributed, by points and stops, into periods,
pai'agraphs, chapters, and other divisions. In some
countries, as among tlie orientals, the lines began
from the right, and ran to the left ; in others, as the
northern and western nations, from left to right ;
others, as the Greeks, followed both directions, al-
ternately going in the one, and returning in the oth-
er. In most countries, the lines run from one side
to the other ; in some, particularly the Chinese,
from top to bottom.*
The ancients iitg said to have made paper of the
asbestos. Signior Castagnatta proposed a scheme
for making books of that kind of paper, which from
its imperishable nature, he would call Books of eter-
nity ; not only the leaves, but the thread which sew-
ed the books, and the covers, were all to be made
from the same substance ; and the letters Avere to
be made of gold. Dr. Brukmann, professor at the
university in Brunswick, in German}-, published the
natural history of that fossil, and four copies of his
book were printed on paper made of it.
The reader will find, hereafter, some notice of the
rise of papermaking in our coimtry. Many of our
* Fabric. Bibl. Antiq. c. 19.— Brit. Encyc. Vol. 3.
OF BOOKS. 45
manufacturers appear to be too intent upon profit ;
although some of them attempt to rival the best per-
formances of the papermakers of Europe.
Scarcity and value of Books, before the hwention of
Priyiting.
.Wharton* mentions the scarcity of books in the
seventh, and several subsequent centuries ; among
many instances he gives the following.
" Towards the close of the seventh century,
even in the papal library at Rome, the number of
books was so inconsiderable, that pope St. Martin
requested Sanctamund, bishop of Maestricht, if pos-
sible, to supply this defect from the remotest parts
of Germany."
" In the year 855, Lupus, abbot of Ferrieres, in
France, sent two of his monks to pope Benedict III,
to beg a copy of Cicero de Oratore, and Quintilian's
Institutes, and some other books ; " for, says the
abbot, although we have parts of these books, yet
there is no whole or complete copy of them in all
France."
" Albert, abbot of Gemblours, who with incred-
ible labor, and immense expense, had collected an
hundred ^^olumefe on theological, and fifty on pro-
fane subjects, believed he had formed a splendid
librar}."
* Hist, of EngUsh Poets. Vol. 1.
46 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
" At the beginning of the tenth century, books
were so scarce in Spain, that one and the same copy
of the Bible, St. Jerome's Epistles, and some vol-
limes of ecclesiastical offices, &:c. serAcd several
different monasteries."
" The libraiy of the bishop of Winchester, in
1294, contained nothing more than " Septemdecem
parti I'lhrum de diver sis scientiis.^^ That prelate in
1299, boiTowed of his cathedral convent of St.
S within, " Bihliam bene glossatam ;" that is, the
Bible with marginal annotations ; but gave a bond
for the due return of the loan, drawn up with great
solemnity."
" If any person gave a book to a religious house,
he believed that so valuable a donation merited eter-
nal salvation; and he offered it on the altai' witli
great solemnity."
" The most formidable anathemas were peremp-
torily denounced against those who should dare to
alienate a book presented to the cloister, or library,
of a religious house."
" The prior and convent of Rochester declare,
that they will every year pronounce the irrevocable
sentence of damnation on him who shall purloin or
conceal a Latin translation of Aristotle's Physics, or
even obliterate the title."
" When a book was bought, the affair was of so
much importance, that it was customary to assem-
ble persons of consequence and character, and to
make a formal record that they were present at the
sale."
" About the year 1225, Roger de Insula, dean
of York, gave several Latin Bibles to the univer-
OF BOOKS. 47
slty of Oxford, with a condition, that the students
who perused them should deposit a cautionaiy
pledge."
" The library of the university at Oxford, before
the year 1300, consisted only of a few tracts, chain-
ed or kept in chests in the choir of St. Mary's
church."
" About the commencement of the fourteenth
century, there were only four classics in the royal
library at Paris ; the rest were chiefly books of de-
votion ; the classics were Cicero, Ovid, Lucan, and
Boetliius."
"About the year 1400, a copy of John of
Meun's Romum de la Roze^ was sold before the pal-
ace gate, at Pai'is, for forty crowns,"
The dutchess of Buckingham, left to the lady
Margaret Beaufort, mother of king Henry 7th, of
England, " in consideration of the lady Margaret's
love of literature, a book of English, being a legend
of saints ; a book of French, ' of the Epistles and
Gospels ; a Primer, with clasps of silver, gilt, cov-
ered with purple velvet."* This was estimated a
most valuable legacy.
It is certain that after the art of making paper
was known, manuscript books were multiplied ; but
the number of books was greatly enlai'ged when
Printing was discovered. Reesf obsei-ves, that " the
invention of the art of making paper, and the inven-
tion of the art of Printing, are two very memorable
events in the history of literature £md of human civ-
ilization."
* Strype's Annals. f Cyclo. Vol. 4.
48 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Of Books WRITTEN by the Scribes, before the art
of Printing ivas discovered s and, of those which
wei'e first printed.
Ncai-]y four centuries having elapsed since the
art of making books was practised wholly by the
scribes ; and we, having been so long familiarized
to the productions of the press, cannot form an ad-
equate idea of the methods which were used to
complete manuscript books, in the elegant manner
in \\hich they were found. Many thousands of
^■olumes have, at great expense, and by strenuous
exertions of learned men, been collected from all
the ancient depositories of Asia and Africa, as well
as Europe, which were accessible, and placed in the
gi-eat public librai'ies in Italy, Germany, France, and
England, &c. but few, on either side of the Atlantic,
who ha\ e not had the opportunity to visit those li-
braries, and examine the antique volumes, can be
^vell acquainted with the state of perfection to which
the art of making them had been brought. As this
part of America was not settled till printed books
had been neiu'ly t^vo hundred years in use, very
few manuscript volumes were brought here by our
forefathers ; of those few there ai-e now scarcel}' any
remains ; so that even a leaf is held in high estima-
tion, b}- the American antiquary, as a precious relic
of the ingenuity and skill of the ancient scribes.
Fiom oiu- A\'ant of information, we readily be-
lieve that, w ith Printing, originated the many nice-
tics, and methodical arrangements, which constitute
OF BOOKS. 4§
books, and produce their convenient forms and ele-
gant appearance. The fact is otherwise-— printed
books were made to imitate, in the most minute
particulars, those which liad preceded them from
the hands of the scribes. The persons who printed
them, kept the art a secret, that the books might be
sold at the prices usually charged for those which
were written.* Ancient manuscript books were
written, generally, on parchment, after the time of
Eumenes ; and, to carry on the deception, those
which were printed, before the secret was exploded,
were printed on parchment ; and, indeed, for some-
time after, until the aiticle became scarce through
the multiplication of copies, when paper was made
to resemble vellum, and substituted in its place ;
that paper was, at least, equal to the finest vellunl
paper in use at the present day. The scribes pre-
pared their paixhment according to the size of the
books they wrote. The sizes were generally fo-
lios and quartos — but few of octavo ; and some
of a smaller size for children. Paper was made for
books, the dimensions whereof corresponded with
those made of parchment. The sizes of the sheets
were, generally, those of pot and foolscap ; and,
for a century, that used for printing did not exceed
the limits of crown.
After the parchment for manuscript books waS
prepared, the margin to the pages was determined ;
which, in all eminent works, was large and hand-
some. The spaces for pages, columns and lines,
* Trimethius calls Printing, " the wonderful art of charac-
terizing books."
1 G
50 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
were marked out with the greatest exactness, from
the beginning to the end of a volume — the space
for the lines was in proportion to the size of the
script or ^vriting ; the letters, or chai'acters, for
which, were what is termed Gothic tl^C&fil? very
similar to the blacks or types of German and Eng-
lish text, now occasionally used. The inventors of
Printing carefully imitated the sizes and shapes of
those characters, first on blocks of wood, and after-
ward on metal types. Pages, columns and lines of
written books, corresponded with the nicest accura-
cy on each side of a leaf, occupying the like spaces
on one side as on the other, and were continued with
the same uniformity tlii'oughout the volume— this,
which is by printers called register, was perfect.
The pages of written books were in two columns ;
so were those of books from the press, for a centu-
ry after it came into use. The space between the
columns was large. In folio volumes, written with
letters of the size of pica, I have measured, in sev-
eral MS. books, or rather the leaves of them, which
I possess, five eighths of an inch between the col-
umns ; and three eighths of an inch in quaitos, or
works written in smaller characters than the size of
pica. The same space was made between the col-
umns of pages in books first printed.
In the infancy of the art, the variety in the sizes
of the types, was but inconsiderable ; however, such
as they were, they were copied from the sizes of the
letters made use of in manuscript books. I have
compared the pages of several of those books, writ-
ten before the era of Printing in Europe, with the
casts of both old and modern specimens of types,
OF BOOKS. 51
and have found the lines of whole pages of the an-
cient manuscripts to correspond in breadth of face,
&c. with the pica blacks in the printed specimens ;
the written and printed works measuring so exactly
together, as not to gain one line in thirty. The let-
ters of some that I have compared, corresjDonded
exactly to english, and those of others to long-
primer and brevier. I was struck with the great
resemblance of written brevier, on a parchment leaf
of an ancient MS. quarto volume, to that of brevier
tl^CR early printed. At first sight, I thought the
work was impressed by types ; but, soon discovered
my error, by obsei-ving that the spaces for the pages,
columns and lines, were all marked out by the
rule and divider ; and that the letters crowded on
each other, in many places, more than they could
have done, had printing types been used. I criti-
cally examined this manuscript leaf, and laying it by
the side of a printed column, from brevier types, I
found that the lines of each ran exactly parallel, for
the whole length of the manuscript, containing sev-
enty lines. The manuscript page was in two col-
umns ; the width of each column, twenty two bre-
vier ems. The space between the columns three
eighths of an inch ; the breadth of the faces of the
letters, wqyq as uniformly true and exact as if they
had been cast ; the ink was a fine black, precisely
similar to that anciently used for Printing ; or, to
speak more correctly, the ancient printers used ink
exactly resembling in color that which was used by
the scribes. No rules at the sides, head or feet of
the pages, or between the columns, were used by
the scribes, nor were they to be seen in books
52 HISTORY OF PRINTIIfG.
made by the earliest printers. The use of rules, or
such black lines as divide the advertisements in
newspapers, and flowers, and two line letters, were
unknown till long after the invention of Printing
in Europe.
Scribes, or illuminators as they M^ere called,
decorated the beginnings of manuscript books, and
their several chapters, or divisions, with ornamented
capital letters. The ornaments were made with
liquid ink of various colors, and they were often
very elegantly and beautifully pencilled ajid gilded.
At the beginning of books, and at the principal di-
visions of them, the letters were larger than at the
subheads, Sjcc. The same method was used in the
first printed books; a space was left in printing
them, for tlie ornamented letters, which were af-
terwiirds filled up by the illuminator. This meth-
od was practised for nearly a century ; or until, at
length, ornamented letters, engraved on wood, sup-
plied the place of the largest illuminations ; and two,
three, or four line letters, from the foundry, the
place of the smaller letters for the purposes men-
tioned. The principal colors used in the illumina-
tion of such works, as I have seen, were red and
blue ; and, in books, made three or four hundred
years ago, they appear as fresh as if just laid on ;
and, although some of the manuscripts have been,
in part, decayed, by having been frequently wet,
and by other accidents, yet the ink with ^^diich the
letters were made, and the colors of the illumina-
tions, remain fresh and unaltered.
The [ut of cutting on wood, for letter press, was
brought to considerable maturity in the fifteenth
OF BOOKS. 53
century, and to great perfection in the sixteenth.
Large ornamented capital letters, as substitutes for
the works of the illuminator, were then introduced,
and were soon after followed by those decorations
called head and tail pieces.
From what has been said, it appears that the
scribes excelled in the art of wiiting ; and that
Printing was, for a long time, modelled by the
works of the scribes, of which it was an imitation.
Perhaps it never equalled their performances as long
as it continued to imitate them.
Manuscript books, and those printed for many
years after the invention of types, were variously
decorated in binding. Strength appeared to be the
first object, neatness the second, and elegant works
were executed for those who chose to pay for them.
They were sewed on single, or double bands, of
strength proportioned to the bulk of the work. The
bands were fastened to boai'ds of compact wood, of
a proper size, and planed to a suitable thickness.
The boai'ds were covered with parchment, and then
impressed with divers figures. Some of the most
elegant books were covered with clear vellum ; then
overlaid with gold leaf, and impressed with a stamp
nearly the size of the boards, and others were hand-
somely ornamented ; after which they were clasped.
Stamps, with various devices, were used for that
purpose, and the year in which the book was bound,
appeared in large figures, on its covers.
Printing was introduced at Venice, as early as
1469 ; that city was famed for improvements in the
art. Books printed there before 1476, and for
many years after, exceeded, in neatness of type, and
54 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
elegance of impression, those of all other parts of Eu-
rope. I had read of the beauty of the Psalter, print-
ed by Faust and SchoefFer, in 1457, and of several
early editions of the Bible, &c. printed at Mentz and
Venice. I supposed, however, no more was meant
than that they were so estimated considering the in-
fancy of the ait ; and, I should not have had a due
knowledge of the beauty of ancient typography,
had I not seen a Bible, which I have the satisfaction
to own, printed at Venice, in fourteen hundred and
seventy six ; a date which cai'ries us back within
about twenty years of the time when metal types
were invented, by SchoefFer, with cast faces, and to
witliin forty six years of the period when Printing
was discovered by Laurentius.
Tliis Venetian edition of the Bible is a copy of
the Latin Vulgate. It is a folio ; and the paper is an
imitation of fine, clear vellum. The types ai-e semi
Gothic, differing from either ancient or modem
blacks. They are superior in neatness ; and, com-
pared with blacks, may be considered as an elegant
specimen. The letters are shaped more like Roman
than any other characters ; their faces are broad and
bold, and have but few fine strokes. Double letters
and abbreviations are very freely used. The ink is
clear, and of a fine black ; and, in no book, ancient
or modem, have I seen better press work. There
is not a- letter but what is fair. In technical lan-
guage, no pick, blot, blur, friiu- or monk, is to be
seen in the work. It is printed, generally, in insets
of five sheets each, but some are of six. Insets of
five sheets, require ten forms of two pages to a form ;
and would render a very lai'ge cast, or fount, of types
OF BOOKS. 55^
necessary. The size of the types is near that of
small pica in width of body, the ancient pica gain-
ing of the modern about one line in twenty four.
The sheets have signatures at the foot of every other
page, for the first ten, of the insets. There is no
catch, or indicative words at the bottom of the
pages ; no folios, or pages numbered ; no running
titles, excepting every other page is headed; the head
extending beyond the limits of the page, with the
name of the book, as 3l3Um0tl, ^ZZttliZ, in larger
type, of the size of two lines english, of handsome
face, and more resembling blacks than the types of
the text ; the pages are in two columns, with a space
of nearly half an inch between them ; and a similar
space between the body of the page and the heads
abovementioned. There are no typographical dec-
orations whatever ; but the whole work is handsome-
ly ornamented by the illuminator ; and, the colors
of the illuminated letters are as lively as if just laid
on with the pencil. The illuminated I, which be-
gins the first chapter of Genesis, is very beautiful ;
it is of the length of seventeen lines pica, and eight
in width ; two ems of the width, encroach on the
margin of the page. For the width of two ems, tlie
ornamental part of the I, is carried in the margin,
close to the text, along the side of the page, and ex-
tends below its foot. The beginning of each book,
has a larger illuminated letter than its several chap-
ters. Those for the chapters are three lines in depth ;
of only one color, and that is red. Each capital
letter in the text has, throughout the volume, a
touch of red from the pencil. In printing the work,
spaces ^vere left to add the illuminated letters.
56 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Every chapter is \vithout a break, or indentation,
from the beginning- to the end of it, except for the
illuminated letter. If a chapter ended with part of
a line, the other part is filled by the number of the
chapter followmg, if only room barely for the nume-
rals. If no room was left, the number of the succeed-
ing chapter is inserted at the end of the first line of
that chapter, which follows on without any white
line or space ; the illuminated letters being the only
marks for dividing the chapters. Where a book
ends, a white line follows, with a short prologue, or
introduction, to the next book ; then another white
line succeeds, and the text begins with a large illu-
minated letter, and the whole of the first line in
krge types, of the same size as those used for the
heads to every other page.
A prologue of seven parts, and the preface of
St. Jerome, precede tlie Pentateuch ; after the Pen-
tateuch, the books of the Old Testament, accom-
panied with the prologue of St. Jerome, &c. are
arranged, as is usual in the Latin Vulgate, as fol-
lows, viz. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Kings, in four
books. Chronicles, Esdnis I, Nehemicih, Esdras II,
Esdi-as III, Tobit, Judith, Esther, Job, Psalms, [the
divisions in the 119th Psalm are all numbered as
distinct Psalms, making the number of Psalms 171]
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom,
Ecclesiasticus, Isaiali, Jeremiali, Lamentations, Ba-
ruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Oba-
dicili, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, ^Zechai-iah, Mcuuchi, and Maccabees. The
books of the New Testament follow each other, as
in the present English translation, ^^dth the addition
OF BOOKS. 57
of the prefaces of St. Jerome prefixed to each. Then
follows an alphabetical explanation of Hebrew names,
in sixty six pages. The whole work makes nine
hundred and fourteen pages.
This edition is mentioned by Le Long " Bihl'iO'
theca Sacra,''^ page 253 ; and by Clai'ke, in his Bib-
liographical Dictionary. Vol. 1. page 191, in these
terms — " This is a beautiful ancient edition ; it has
a copious index at the end, which enhances the val-
ue of it. As it is not described by Clement, or
mentioned in the Harleian catalogue, it is, undoubt-
edly, rare in Europe. De Bure mentions it, as ime
edition rare, for t recherches des curieux.''^
In all probability, it is the most ancient printed
book now in America, excepting one hereafter men-
tioned.
This Bible, which has been preserved with great
care, resembles the work of the most perfect ancient
manuscripts. Not ally of the leaves are torn, and
only two are wanting, one of wliich contains a part
of the prologue to the Pentateuch, and, unfortunate-
ly, the other was the title page. The imprint is at
the end of the apocalypse, and is as follows :
" Explicit biblia ipressa Venetijs : p Fraciscii
de Hailbrun 7 Nicholaii y frankfordia socios
M.CCCC.LXX.VI."
I have a copy of the celebrated Bible called, by
way of distinction, " The Great Bible ;" by Arch-
bishop Cranmer;* printed in the reign of Henry
VHI, anno 1540.
* This is Tyndal's version revised by the directions of
Archbishop Cranmer, by Miles Coverdale, afteinvards bishop
of Exeter, and others, and examined by Cranmer, who pre-
1 H
58 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
This Bible is a folio, of large size, printed on
good \'ellum paper, from a black type of the size of
large bodied english, and in insets of four sheets.
Ever)^ other page is numbered at the end of the
running title, e. g. JfoL )CU» and so on. The ink is
excellent ; and the work is well executed, though
inferior to the printing done at Venice, and in other
pai-ts of Europe, sixty years before. This volume
never received the finishing touches of the illumina-
tor. The prologues, the first chapter of Genesis and
of Matthew, are begim with very large ornament-
ed letters ; and all other chapters with smaller deco-
rated letters, from wooden engravings. The large
T, at the beginning of MatthcM^, fills the whole wddtli
of the lines of the column, and a space of eighteen
lines in length. Wooden cuts of scripture history,
of nearly the width of the columns, and twelve lines
deep, are interspersed tliroughout the work ; but
are not so well executed as cuts for similar pur-
poses, which were made at the same period in Ger-
many, and many other parts of Europe, where ai'-
tists excelled in engraving on wood for letter press
printing. TIic archbishop's prologue ends with
(30X\ SaUe tf)Z Einge; and beneath, by way of
what aie called tail jiieces, are>two very large orna-
mented letters, f^, E» [Heniy King] of Gothic
shape, well engraven on wood.
The title is, " f[ The Byble in Englyshe, that is
to saye the contet of al the holy scrypture, bothe
fixed a prologue, &c. to it; whence it is called Cranmer's, or,
« The Great Bible." Tyndal's was the first translation of the
Bible, printed in England ; though WicklifFe was the first
translator of it into the English language.
OF BOOKS. 59
of the olde, and ncwe testaiiiet, widi a prologe ther-
into, made by the reverende father in God, Thomas
archbyshop of Cantorbury, f[ This is the Byble
apoynted to the vse of the Churches. f[ Pr}-nted
by Ry chard Grafton. Cum priuilegio ad imprimen-
dum solum. ^, "^^ ]rt," The Unes are printed in
black and red alternately. This title occupies three
inches, by three and five eighths in the centre of a
lai'ge frontispiece, or border, in magnitude thirteen
and six eighths by nine and six eighths inches.
This border is mentioned by British writers, in the
Encyclopedias, &c. as a *' beautiful frontispiece.'*
It is from a wooden engraving, and if not beauti-
fully, it may be said to be well executed for that kind
of work done in England in 1540; a description of
this frontispiece may, to many, be acceptable.
Before I give an account of it, I will observe,
that it is used also as a border to the title page of
the Nev/ Testament ; which, that title informs us,
is " translated after the Greke ;" and then mentions
all the gospels, epistles, &c. which it contains. Like
the title of the Old Testament, it is printed with
black and red lines, alternately. The frontispiece,
or border, is said to have been designed by Hims
Holbein, a celebrated Swiss artist of that time. A
description of it follows.
On the top of it, is a representation of the Al-
mighty in the clouds of heaven, with both his hands
stretched out, and two labels going from his mouth.
On that going toward his right hand are the follow-
ing words, " Ocrbum meum quon egtetiierut rsc
ore meo non retiettctur aD me uacuum, seD fa«
iizt quaecunquc uolui, (^m. Iti." His left
60 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
hand points to the king, who is represented kneeling
at some distance bai'eheaded, and his hands Ufted up
toward heaven, with his crown on the ground be-
fore him, and a label going out of his mouth. Qn
the label which comes from the Almighty is this
texi-^" 3lnueni Dirum jurta cor mcunt, qui
Mitt omne0 tioluntatcsi meas* Ztu riii."— to
Avhich answei^s that proceeding from the king,
" luccma peDitJus meig uetljum tuum, psal.
CrUiii." Underneath the Almight}-, the king is
again represented, but enthroned, and the royal arms
placed before his feet. On the right hand stand two
bishops bareheaded, and their mitres on the ground,
in token, as it should seem, of their acknowledg-
ment of the king's supremacy. The king gives to
one of them a book, shut, with these words on the
cover, " VERBUM DEI;" aiulthe following words
on a label going out of his mouth, " \^tt ptCCip0 tt
DOC0»" The bishop receives it, bending his right
knee. On the king's left hand stand several of the
lords temporal, to one of whom he delivers a book,
clasped, with " VERBUM DEI" on the cover of
it, and the followirig words on one label — " 3 1110
tongtitutum est D0cr0rum, ut in unit)0rsfo im^
perio et regno 11100 ttemigcant 0t pat)0ant ri0um
Dll)0ntCm» Dani0, DL" And on another label,
this text, " ciuoti nmum m iuDicat0» 3ita pat*
uum auni0ri0, ut magnum* D0ut. primo." The
nobleman receives the book, bending his left knee.
Underneath the bishops, stands lu'chbishop Cran-
mer, with a mitre on his head, and habited in his
rochet, over which is a stole. Before him is one kneel-
ing with a shaven crowTi, and habited in a surplice,
OF BOOKS. 61
to whom the archbishop delivers a book, clasped,
with the words " VERBUM DEI," on the cover
of it ; he uses the following sentence, which appears
on a label coming out of his moutli — " lPft0Clt0 QUI
in mhifi m srepm C&riiSt!* primo. Pe> t). "
Behind the archbishop seems to stand one of his
chaplains. At the ai'chbishop's feet is placed the coat
of arms of his family, which is the same as that af-
terwards prefixed to bis life published by archbishop
Parker, only here distinguished by the crescent, as
the arms of a younger family. Under the lords tem-
poral stands the lord Cromwell, the king's vicege-
rent, as appears by his arms placed at his feet, as the
archbishop's are. His lordship is represented a?
standing with his cap on, and a roll of paper in one
hand, and inttie other a book, clasped, with " VER-
BUM DEI" on the cover of it, which he delivers to
a nobleman, who receives it of him bareheaded. The
following label is over their heads, " 2I)it)Ctt0 B ttia-
lo et fac fionum, inquite pacem et pergequete
earn* IP^almo ^^^iiir At the bottom, on the
right hand, is represented a priest with his square
cap on, in a pulpit, preaching to a lai'ge auditory of
persons of all ranks and qualities, orders, sexes and
ages, men, women, children, nobles, priests, soldiers,
tradesmen, and countrymen ; \\^hich are represent-
ed, some standing, and others sitthig on forms, and
expressing themselves very thankfulh' . Out of the
preacher's mouth goes a label with these words —
" £)b0ecto igitur ptimum omnium fieri ol)0c*
cratione0, ocatione0, po0tularionc0, gratia*
rum actione0 pro omnitJU0 J)ominibu0, pro re-
gil)U0, (JC. 1 Cim« iU' On the right side of the
62 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
pulpit are the words, " VIVAT REX ;" and, in
labels coming from the mouths of the people and
children, " VIVAT REX," [Long live the Awg^
to express the great and universal joy and satisfac-
tion which all the king's subjects, high and low,
great and little, had, and their thankfulness to the
king, for his granting them the privilege, of hav-
ing and reading the holy scriptures in their mother
tongue. On the left side, are represented prisoners
looking out of the prison grates, and participating
this great and common joy.
In the text of this Bible, those parts of the Latin
version, not found in the Hebrew or Greek, are in-
serted in a smaller type ; such, for instance, are the
5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th verses of the 14th Psalm, as
in the translation used in the English book of Com-
mon Prayer ; and the disputed texts, 1 John, ii. 23,
and ch. v. 7, 8 — also. Rev. viii. 23, &c. A mark is
used to denote the difference of reading between the
Hebrew and Chaldee. Johnson calls this edition of
the scriptures, " The Bible in the large or great vol-
ume," and ascribes it to the yeai' 1539. He, and
several other English writers, in the notice they
take of it, observe that king Henry VIII, at the
request of ai-chbishop Cranmer, who had long been
engaged in revising and correcting T}ndaPs trans-
lation, determined to have it printed, although great
opposition was made to it by some of the superior
clergy ; particulaily in the convocation, the interlo-
cutor Avhereof, made a speech against putting the
scriptures into the hands of mere English readers; in
the course of which he made use of this cmious ar-
gument— " If,'' said he, " we give them the scrip-
OF BOOKS. * 63
tures in their vernacular tongue, what ploughman,
who has read, that fio ?nan having set his hand to the
plough, and looking back, is Jit for the kingdom of
heaven — will make a straight furrow?"* But the
power of the king prevailed, and the opposition was
overcome. He allowed Grafton, the printer, and
bishop Coverdale, as corrector of the press, by per-
mission from the French monarch, Francis I, to go
to France, and execute the work at Paris ; where
printing was done better, and where paper could
be had cheaper, and of a quality superior to what
was made in England, f They accordingly went to
Palis in 1537, and nearly completed an impression
of 2500 copies ; when, notwithstanding the royal per-
mission to e^xecute the work in that city, the officers
of the inquisition, by virtue of an order, dated De-
cember 17, 1538, seized the work, prohibited their
proceeding with it, and ordered all the copies to be
burned. Coverdale and the English agents fled, and
the holy office became appeased ; but the officer,
who had the charge of committing the books to the
flames, was bribed to save a part of them ; and Graf-
ton's agents afterward returned to Paris, recovered
the copies that were preserved, and caiTied them to
London, together with the types, presses and French
printers, where the edition was completed ; as ap-
pears by the imprint of the book in 1540. If this
account be correct, the work, though completed iji
London, must be considered as a specimen of
French, rather than of English, printing. \_a'\X
• Ryder's History of England, f Rees's Cyclo. Vol. 4.
% References of this description point to notes near the
close of the volume.
64 ' HISTORY OF PRINTING.
While I am treating of ancient books, I will
mention one or two more in my possession. The
first of tliem, I belies e was printed as eai'iy as the
year 1470. A number of pages are lost, botli from
the beginning' tmd end of it ; but above 500 pages
of the work remain. The title page, as well as the
latter part of the book being gone, no imprint is to
be found ; and neither the place where it was print-
ed, nor tlie year can be ascertained. But the fea*
tures of the t;y'pography are such, as to ascertain that *
it came from the press in the infancy of the tj^po-
graphic art. The subject of the work is natural his-
tory. A considerable part treats of botany, part of
zoology, part of ornitholog}^ part of ichthyology,
pait of petiif action, &c. The treatise on plants con-
tains 530 chapters ; each of which begins with an
illuminated red letter. The chapter, whatever its
length, is but one continued paragraph, from begin-
ning to end, without a break line. Sections of chap-
ters are distinguished by capital letters ; i. e. A
shews the first section, B the second, and so on.
The letters are placed in the beginning, middle, or
end o£ the line ; and wherever one section ends, an-
other immediately succeeds it. The volume is a
folio ; the work is in Latin ; the pages contain two
columns each ; they are not numbered ; have no
catch or direction words ; but have, in large types,
a rumiing title, as, " CtaCtatUg," on tlie left hand
page, and " 2^0 fl)0tbi0," on the right, placed two
pica ems distant from the body of the page. The
\\ork has a large margin, and a space of three
eighths of im inch between the columns of each
page. It has not the features of ancient English
OF BOOKS* 65
I
printing ; but by comparing the book with other
antique vohimes, I am led to beUeve, that it came
from a German press. This, like the Bible printed
at Venice, has no typographical ornaments ; such
as head pieces, flowers, rules, &c.- — and, similar to
that, has, throughout the whole, types of only t^vo
sizes — one for the text, and a larger for the heads.
The ink, like that of all ancient Printing, is excel-
lent, as is the press work. There is no perceptible
diflerence in the color, or in the impression, through-
out the volume. The monks, friars, and other im-
perfections of the press, we should suppose were
unknown to the fathers of the type. The work is
printed in insets of four sheets each, with signa-
tures ; and on good vellum paper. The types are
the ajicient tlldCl^) well cast, of the size of english,
but broader faced, and not so handsome as those of
a later period. The illuminated letters at the begin-
ning of the chapters, appear to have been made with
despatch, and ai'e of inferior execution. About the
middle of the book, a small letter is introduced in
tlie space left for the illuminator, as a direction for
him to make the same letter with his pencil.
Preceding every chapter is a cut of tlie plant,
animal, or bird, &c. concerning which the chapter
treats. These cuts are of the width of one column
of the page, and are, generally, from three, to four
and a half inches in length ; coarsely executed, and
appear to be the rude efforts of the earliest design-
ers, in wood, for letter press printing. However,
the articles are well expressed, and ai'e all colored.
This book is a valuable relic of ancient typogra-
phy, and engraving on wood ; and would, doubtless,
1 I
66 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
be held in high estimation, if placed in the cabinet
of an European antiqumy.
Magdeburg acquired considerable renown, on
account of the printing done in that city, in the six-
teenth century. I have a Romish Missal, by Simon
Paulus, beating the following imprint. "Ex of-
ficina T3-pographica VVolfgangi Kirckneri. Anno
1573." It contains seven hundred pages, small oc-
tavo, well printed with good ink, on vellum paper ;
and is principally from the cursive [^Italic'] type. Old
German, and a very handsome Greek letter, were
occasionally used for quotations, &c. and Roman
for the introductions, or what is since called, from
its ha\dng been printed in red letter, the rubric to
the prayers. A few of the Roman two line letters,
in the title page, &c. are of rude workmanship ; and
appear as if the faces were not cast, but cut ; others
ai'e well shaped. The book lias a number of well exe-
cuted wooden cuts of scripture history. The print-
er of it appears to ha,ve had a great vaiiety of founts
for tliat time. Among them I observed a very neat
cursive paragon, used for die dedication. The book
is complete, and in its original binding of 1573.
The year when it was bound, is impressed on each
side of the cover ; and the execution is in the best
style of that age. The cover is vellum, impressed
Avith various figures, &c. over boards of ku'd wood.
Pajsteboard was not then, nor for many }ears after,
used by bookbinders.
Among the early productions of the press, may
be distinguished various splendid editions of Prim-
ers, or Prayer Books ; they were embellished with
cuts, iinished in most elegant taste. Many of them
OF BOOKS. 67
were grotesque, and some obscene, though not de-
signedly so. In one of them is a representation of
an angel crowning the virgin Mary, and the Al-
mighty assisting at the ceremony. The editors of
the Encyclopedia mention that they had seen in a
book of natural history, the Supreme Being repre-
sented as reading on the seventh day, when he rested
from all his works. In some places St. Michael is
seen overcoming Satan ; in others, St. Anthony ap-
pears attacked by several devils, of most hideous
forms. " The Prymer of Salisbury," printed in
1533, is full of cuts ; and, at die bottom of the title
page, is the following remarkable prayer.
*' God be in my Bede,
And in my Understandynge,
God be in my Eyen,
And in my Lokynge,
God be in my mouthe,
And in my Spekynge,
God be in my Herte,
And in my thinkynge,
God be at my ende.
And at my departynge."
Scaliger tells us, his grandmother had a printed
Psalter, with cuts, the cover of which was two
inches thick. In the inside was a kind of recess,
which contained a small silver crucifix : The book
appeared to have been printed from engraved blocks
of wood ; and, probably, was bound according to
the prevailing fashion of those times.
Luckombe, in his " History and Art of Print-
ing," mentions that, " about the time of king Henry
II, of England, the manner of publishing the works
68 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
of authors was, to have them read over three days
successively, before one of the universities, or other
judges appointed by the pubHc ; and, if they met
with approbation, copies of them were then permit-
ted to be taken, which were usually written by
monks, scribes, illuminators, and readers brought
up to tliat business for their maintenance."
I will quit the subject of ancient books, after
having stated some brief observations on the " Ho-
rariuni''' of Laurentius. This work, made for the
use of children, in eight very small pages, is sup-
posed to liave been the first book printed by the
discoverer of the art in Europe, between the years
1430 and 1431.
That adept in t}^pography, and learned anti-
quary, Gerai'd Meerman, l. l. d. and pensionary
of Amsterdam, became acquainted -with the first
literaiy characters in Europe. He visited the prin-
cipal libraries where any tiling that first issued from
the presses of Holland, Germany, France, or Eng-
land, was preserved ; and, it is presumed that no
one, either before or since his time, was better in-
formed with respect to ancient printing. He was
the most active of all the writers who ha\'e attempt-
ed an investigation of facts, relative to the com-
mencement of the art in Europe. He examined,
with the eye and judgment of a profound critic,
QYtTj description of printing that he met with from
the presses of Laurentius, Geinsfieiche, Faust, Gut-
temburg and Schoefter, as well as those of all the
other patriarchs of the type, who flourished in the
first age of the art. In his Origines Typogi'aphicte,
he gives the result of his reseaixhes respecting the
OF BOOKS. 60
Horarkim, m substance, as follows — '' It was the
first work of Laurentius — ^there is a rudeness in the
types that I have not observed in any other in-
stance.— After it was critically examined by proper
artists, and good judges, they gave it as their opin-
ion, that it agreed exactly with the description given
of it by Junius, &c. It is conformable to tlie first
edition of the Dutch Speeuliim Salvationist and the
fragments of the first Haerlem edition of Donatusy
both of wliich are the works of the same Lauren-
tius, and were preceded by the JHorarium.^''
Meerman has published Jac similes of pages of
several productions of the press of Laurentius,
which shew the progressive improvements he made
in the art. Of these specimens the Horarium occu-
pies the first place. I have had an exact engraving
made from Meerman's fac simile of it, which is
annexed to this volume. It may be considered as
the greatest typographical curiosity ever exhibited
in this part of the world.
This small tract, which contains only the Alpha-
bet, the Lord's Prayer, the Ave Maria oro pro no-
bis, the Apostles' Creed, a short prayer beginning,
*' Ave salus Mundi;'''' and another prayer, seems to
exhibit, as Meerman observes, " a specimen of his
piety, and a first attempt in this newly invented
art." It has no signature, no directions, or catch
words ; nor has it any numbers to the pages ; those
which appear on the plate, wei'e added, together with
the crooked lines, by Meerman, to direct the pages
as they followed each other, when folded. There
ai'c no hyphens at the end of the lines "where words
are divided ; on the contrary, a syllable, divided in
70 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
the middle, is seen in the last page ; and, in the third
and fourth lines, words are divided thus Sp iritu ;
and in page one, line six, " sanctijicetur.^'* There
are neither distinctions, nor points seen, as in other
works printed by Laurentius. The lines aie une-
ven ; the letters vary in size, are dissimilar in fig-
ure, and many of them appear as if broken in the act
of engraving them on the wooden blocks, from
which I have a strong belief it was printed, notwith-
standing the opinion of abler judges in Europe, who
have concluded the work was impressed on movea-
ble wooden types. The imperfect letters and words
in the eighth page, appear so in the original. The
spaces at the beginning of the Lord's Prayer, Creed,
&c. were left, as was usual in all the books first
printed, to be filled, by the illuminator, with the
large letters, which axe wanting.
Books Illuminated.
The ingenious art of illuminating was practised
long before, and for some time after the discovery
of Printing in Europe ; but as soon as the ait of
cutting pictures on blocks of wood was brought to
some degree of perfection, the ornamented letters
of the engravers on wood, supplied the place of
the illuminations formerly made with the brush or
pen. The ornaments of the illuminators were, many
of them, exquisitely fine, and curiously variegated
wath the most beautiful colors^-very often with gold
and silver. The margins of books were embel-
lished with a variety of figures of kings, and otlier
K/r !^y/V^ Jfi'ernuirui' Or/
'^ines
Typo
GIIAPBTUJE.
ucci
w
?.;!«
bus
atcnioftct
qutc^ iucc
UCCtlW Uruiic t^'imH)
J^buumot reguu en
70 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
the middle, is seen in the last page ; and, in the third
and fourth lines, words are divided thus Sp iritu ;
and in page one, line six, " sanctijicetur.^'' There
are neither distinctions, nor points seen, as in other
works printed by Laurentius. The lines aie une-
ven ; the letters vary in size, are dissimilar in fig-
ure, and many of them appear as if broken in the act
of engraving them on the wooden blocks, from
which I ha-ve a strong belief it was printed, notwith-
standing the opinion of abler judges in Europe, who
have concluded the work was impressed on movea-
ble wooden types. The imperfect letters and words
in the eighth page, appear so in the original. The
spaces at the beginning of the Lord's Prayer, Creed,
&c» were left, as was usual in all the books first
printed, to be filled, by the illuminator, with the
large letters, which are wanting.
Books Illuminated.
The ingenious art of illuminating was practised
long before, and for some time after the discovery
of Printing in Europe ; but as soon as the ait of
cutting pictures on blocks of wood was brought to
some degree of j^erfection, the ornamented letters
of the engravers on wood, supplied the place of
the illuminations formerly made with the brush or
pen. The ornaments of the illuminators Avere, many
of them, exquisitely fine, and curiously variegated
W'ith the most beautiful colors-— very often with gold
and silver. The margins of books were embel-
lished T\ ith a variety of figures of kings, and other
-/y,^^/^//^- o/LAUUK^rriUS'S, or Coster: SEOKAmTAr I Supprwdte haxelcmfnuhdkhym>A:n.W>^-m'')f'7/o>//,;'m JkermaiUf Onpn,:T
Tyv 0 GiLirincM.
to\n?4? (j)r>tH « sou
SOUiJoui 53 sou
I01UO CiUjVid IJi^ VAJ-)
nojJqnj0ua»(xtmi0'
ao«v)nuuc(^uiiutuu
$u\j) mu\\^\uu«a;
|u(i ntuK ux o^lo tb
Wt^cvapaae not
ixww cotiDimwl ou
fviobi:. (jOiMg tg.c ^i
irtitte uob\5 ix^bica
nofira ?5\CUP,et UO0
hmuttuntts b?biton
bus iiottt\s -^tt ue
^e Tiitus muu5i
i.tfbmn jJatinsr
ijoUiuCacvav)a'uti
Uficavpti?itftsmtc^
pmvs \jOmO
lD?vu^ ^^ ^^^^
guis tifu ^oC
tviiljcdcaiCtltuCta
V ua-'^u£ iiuiuft
tt.o?Mt oBCiT^le
I ^u'l beueijiCauoitfio
I niavuv cnc^iTiu^x^
iitcvuoUec
qtttcs tucc
ticctiu* umii? t^'uuij
^t)U\imot recjuu eu
OF BOOKS. ' 71
great men, saints, beasts, birds, monsters, flowers,
&c. which sometimes bore a relation to the contents
of the page, though often these symbols were not
analogous. These embellishments were costly ; but,
for those who could not afford to go to the expense
of the most superb ornaments, others were made of
inferior degrees, to coirespond with the ability of the
purchaser.*
The origin of the practice of illuminating is not
known. Plinyf informs us, that Vai*ro wrote the
lives of seven hundred illustrious Romans, and or-
namented their histories with their portraits. Cor-
nelius Nepos,^ also says, that Pomponius Atticus
wrote a work on the actions of great men among
the Romans, which he decorated with their por-
traits. These works are lost. The great libraiues
in Europe, such as those of the Vatican, at Rome ;
St. Mark's, at Venice ; the royal librai'ies at Paiis ;
the Escurial, in Spain ; St. James's and the Bodleian
librai'ies, in England ; and several others, have in
them vast numbers of manuscripts of Roman and
even Grecian art. In the year 1731, a most la-
mentable accident happened at the Cottonian library
on the 25th of October. A fire broke out, which
did considerable damage ; and among the manu-
scripts and books which were injured, was that of
Genesis in manuscript. That work contained two
hundi-ed and fifty curious paintings in w^ter colors ;
and, unfortunately , only twenty or thirty fragments
of this invaluable work escaped the fire. Lambe-
cius has made a catalogue of the imperial libraiy at
* Luckombe. t Nat. Hist. lib. 35. cap. 2. :f Opera, cap. 18.
7S, HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Vienna, from which it appears he found some draw-
ings nearly as ancient as those of the Cotton Ubrary.
The Vatican Virgil, which was made in the fourth
century, is ornamented with drawings of the sub-
jects which ai-e descanted on by the Roman poet.
A copy of the gospels was carried into England by
St. Augustine, in the sixth century, to each of
which a miniature drawing is prefixed. This work
is preserved in the library of Coq^us Christi Col-
lege, Cambridge, in England. There cU"e specimens
of the state of tlie arts in England, from tlie seventh
century, downward, to be found in the libraries of
the two universities ; and others, particularly in
that of the British museum, M'hich shew the prog-
ress made in the illumination of books, as long as
the practice continued in fashion.
CHINA.
Origin and Practice of the Arti.
IT is acknowledged by all writers on the origin
of Printing) that the art was first practised by the
Chinese. The precise epocha when it was invent-
ed, cannot be ascertained. The Chinese assign a
date to its origin, which is anterior to the promulga-
tion of Christianity. Some historians, of other na-
tions, who have attempted to ascertain the fact, ad-
mit that the Chinese practised Printing as early as
the sixth century ; others, among whom is Phil.
Couplet, who has always been considered by the
learned as a very accurate historian, ascribe the
invention, in China, to the year 930.* The cele-
brated Meerman, in his history of Printing, men-
tions that " The Historia Sinensis of Abdalla, writ-
ten in Persic in 1317, speaks of it as an art in very
common use." And, indeed, as the art is so useful,
and, as practised in China, so simple, we cannot
have a doubt that it was, at least, coeval with many
other arts ; which, though less needful, and more
complicated and intricate in practice, are very gene-
rally acknowledged to have been in use, in that great
•Brit. Encyc. Vol. 15.
1 K
74 HISTORY OF PRINTING
and veiy ancient empire, for many ages previous to
a knowledge of similai' arts in Europe.*
The latest account of Chinese Printing, is given
by sir George Staunton, who was attacihed to the
embassy of lord Macartney, to the court of Pekin,
in 1793.
He informs us, that " the art was, probably, prac-
tised at a very early period of the ©mpire ; and, may
have contributed to preserve its government, in a
neai'ly uniform state, to the present time.
Sir George Staunton's account of Chinese Print-
ing, agrees with the accounts given us by the learn-
ed disciples of Ignatius Loyola,f who long resided
in China, and others, M-ho have written on the arts
and manufactures of tliat country. His is, however,
more circumstantial on the subject of Printing,
than any other which I have had an opportunit}- of
reading.
Mr. Winterbotham, who, to enable him to com-
pile " An historical, geographical and philosophical
* Th« abbe Raynal, Histoire Philosophique et Politique,
tome l.p. 151, says of the Chinese — " 11 leur faut des siecles
pour perfectionner quelque chose ; et quand on pense a I'etat
ou se trouvoient chez eux les arts et les sciences il y a trois
cens ans, on est convaincu dc I'etonnant duree de cet empire."
The same argument will apply to the antiquity of their lan-
guage, and the art of Printing among them ; in which they
have not for many ages made any improvement, because, " La
langue des Chinois demande une etude longue et penible, qui
occupe des hommes tout entiers durant le cours de leur vie."
t Ignatius Loyola was founder of the oi-der of Jesuits. He
was born anno 149 1, died in 1556 ; and, was canonized by Paul
V, anno 1609.
IN CHINA. 75
View of the Chinese Empire," consulted the various
^\Titers of Chinese history, as well as some of the
gentlemen who were in the suite of lord Macartney,
in treating of the literature and arts of that country,
gives an account of Printing, similar to the naiTa-
tions of the other writers I have mentioned. From
these authorities, the process of Chinese Printing is
ascertained to be as follows. — They first write, or
draw, a fair copy of the work intended to be printed ;
it is then given to the engraver, or, more properly,
the carver, who glues the leaves of the manuscript
upon a piece of hard board, or plank, properly pre-
pared, on which he traces over, with a suitable in-
strument, the strokes of the writing ; carves out the
characters, in relief, and cuts down the intermedi-
ate parts of the wood ; therefore, the beauty of the
letters depends on the dexterity of the pereon who
writes the copy. The adroitness of the carver is
such, that he copies every stroke exactly ; his work
is sometimes so neatly executed, it is difficult to
distinguish a book that is printed, from one which
is Avritten. The board, thus carved, or engraved,
generally contains the characters for two pages.
When the work of the carver' is completed, it is
taken by the printer, laid level, and fixed in that
position. The printer being provided with two
brushes, he takes tliat Avhich is hardest, dips it into
the ink, and therewith lays the ink on the carved
board in such manner as to have a quantity which
will be exactly sufficient for four or five impress-
ions, as he does not ink the boai'd for every im-
pression. When tlie board has received as much
in.k as the artist judges to be sufficient, he lays on
76 HISTORY OF PRINTING
the paper ; and, with the other brush, which is of an
oblong figure, and softer than the first, he presses
the paper upon the board, by gendy dra^^dng the
brush over it, with a force, which is a litde increas-
ed for each impression, until the ink, put on the
letters, is all tiiken off by the paper. In this mode
of perfonning the business, one man is able to throw
off several thousand copies in a day.
The ink, the Cliinese use for printing, is made
in a peculiai' manner ; and is different from their
common sort, which they roll in oblong sticks or
cakes.
After an edition of a book is printed off, the
plates, or carAed boards, ai'e collected together ;
and, it is generally mentioned in the preface, where
they are deposited, in case a second edition should
be wanted.
The paper they use for printing, is not sized by
any glutinous liquid ; it is too thin and weak to
receive distinct impressions on both sides ; there-
fore, no more than one side is printed. For this
reason, the printed sheets, when they are to be
bound into books, are taken separately and doubled j
the blank sides touching each other ; and, they ai-e
folded so exactly, as to make the extremities of one
page conespond with those of the other, as is the
method with our bookbinders ; but, contrary to our
mode of binding, all the single edges are placed so
as to form the back of the book ; the folds make
the front, and are never cut. Their books are, gen-
erally, covered with neatly manufactured, colored
pastcboLud. Those who wish to have them done
out of the common way, cover the pasteboai^d with
IN CHINA. 77
rich and elegant fancy colored silk, or satin ; and,
sometimes, with gold and silver brocade, &c. The
folded edges of the leaves are left plain.
It has been thought by printers in Europe, and
others, that moveable types would answer a better
purpose for the Chinese, than their method of carv-
ing characters on wooden plates, or blocks ; but,
until they invent something like an alphabet, of
which their words, or characters, may be composed,
moveable types cannot be of great use to them.
They are not without the knowledge of separate
types ; though such as they use are cut in wood ;
and, when the same characters frequently occur, as is
often the case in the Calendars and Gazettes, they
occasionally insert those separate types, in places
fitted to receive them in the wooden plates, on which
the other part of the Gazette, Calendar, &c. is carv-
ed ; or, otherwise, fix them for the purpose for
which they are wanted. They have no alphabet,
from which they can form words as we do. Their
words are represented by cliaracters ; and, these
characters have been usually said to be 80,000 in
number ; but, from the Dictionary which was made
by the emperor Cam Hi, who lived in the time of
king Chai'les II, of England, it appears, that their
characters do actually amount to the number of
120,000.*
* This fact has been ascertained by doctor Benjamin Car-
ter, son of John Carter, esq. of Providence, Rhodeisland ;
who, having been some time in China, acquired a knowledge
of the Chinese language, and brought one of Cam Hi's diction-
aries over with him.
78 HISTORY Ol TRINTING
A compositor, in our printing houses, easily
distinguishes the various letters, &c. of an alpha-
betic language ; he at once sees where each is to
be found in the tjpe cases before him ; he distin-
guishes tlicm at a glance ; his hands even acquire
the habit of reaching them rapidly witliout looking
for them, as the fingers learn to touch the keys of a
harpsichord, without turning the eyes toward them ;
were there many thousands of such keys, it is ob-
vious that no such habit could be acquired ; nor
could the keys be within reach."* It would be
equally inconvenient to print with an hundred and
twenty thousand difierent characters ; especially, as
many types or characters of the same denomination
vrould be wanted, which vvould increase them to a
prodigious number. It has not, it seems, occurred
to the Cliinese artists to make moveable and separate
types for pails of characters, which, when placed
together, would form whole characters, as is the
practice of European founders, widi their types for
music. But this mode would be attended with
greater difficulty, in a printing house, than casts of
whole characters ; because, a great increase of num-
bers would be necessary ; and, consequently, the
labor and inconveniences of a compositor would be
augmented. He could not use them with the same
facility that a Chinese carver of cku-acters forms
them on wooden plates. It is admitted, that sepa-
rate types, cast for the whole, or the parts of char-
acters, would ans\ver for any ^York until worn
* Sumjtou's Embassy to China. Vol. 2. p, 295, London 4to.
edition.
IN CHINA. 79
down ; but, it must be considered, that they would
be much more expensive than the cai vcd, or en-
graved plates which are now used. Hence it
appears, that, unless the Chinese form an alphabet,
and substitute it for their characters, they cannot
prosecute the business of Printing witli more ease
and expedition, or with less expense, than by the
process they have adopted, and practised for centu-
ries past.
Winterbotham mentions, that a work which is
printed and published every three months, in Pekin,
intitled, '* The State of China," is altered, or cor-
rected, at each time of publication, by means of
moveable wooden characters, in the mode before
described. He adds, that some " very smcill works
are printed in the same manner."*
As we have so little information respecting that
interesting country, where striingers cannot travel,
but by permission, which is obtained with great
difficulty, all authentic Intelligence respecting it
— particulai'ly the state of its arts, and, above all,
the art of Printing, cannot fail to excite attention.
For this reason, I will here insert a few passages
from authors of the highest reputation, respecting
Chinese publications.
Like the capital cities of European kingdoms,
" Pekin the capital of the Chinese empire, is fur-
nished with a Gazette, which circulates into the re-
motest provinces, and which is even considered, by
the administration, as an essential piut of tlie politi-
cal constitution. It is printed daily ; and, conttuns
* View of the Chinese empire. P. 41,5.
80 HISTORY OF PRINTING
an account of all those objects to which the atten-
tion of administration is directed. In tliis Gazette,
may be seen the names of all those delinquents who
lu-e punished with death, and of the officers appoint-
ed to fill the places of the disgraced mandarins ; —
the relief given by government ; and the expenses
incurred by administration, -for the subsistence of
the troops, supplying the wants of the people, re-
pairing, or erecting, public works ; and, lastly, the
remonstrances made to the sovereign by the superi-
or tribunals, either with regard to his public decis-
ions or private conduct ; and, sometimes, even
with relation to both. Nothing, however, is con-
tained in this Gazette, which has not immediately
come from the emperor, or been submitted to his
inspection ; and, immediate death would be the
consequence of inserting a falsehood in tiiis minis-
terial paper."*
" Gazettes are frequently published in Pekin,
under the authority of government. The various
appointments throughout the empire, the favors
granted by the emperor, all his public acts, his re-
mission of taxes to districts suffering by dearth, or
other general calamity ; his recompenses of extra-
ordinaiy services ; the embassies sent, and the trib-
ute paid to him, form a considerable part of the
public news. The domestic details of his house-
hold, or of his private life, are seldom, if ever,
mentioned. SinguUu' events, instances of longevi-
ty, sometimes the punishments of offences, com.
mitted by mandarins, are there recorded. Even,
• Encyclopedia} American edition. Vol. iv. p. 676.
IN CHINA. 81
sometimes, instances of the adultery of women,
which is a punishable, though not a capital offence ;
are occasionally published, perhaps, by way of de-
terring others from the commission of the like en-
ormities. While China was at wai% its victories,
as well as the suppression of rebellions, were an-
nounced. In all other cases the world, in point of
intelligence, is confined to China. Beside the classic
works of the Chinese, of which the multiplication
by Printing is prodigious ; the lighter literature of
the country gives no inconsiderable occupation to
the press.
" Notwithstanding the vigilant police of the
Chinese magistrates, books disapproved by them,
are, in various instances, privately printed and dis-
seminated in China. It is not easy to prevent^ or
even always to detect, the operations of a trade,
which, beside paper and ink, requires little more
than some pieces of board, and a knife to cut the
characters upon them. The books thus published,
privately, are chiefly those which are offensive to
decency, and inflame the imaginations of youth.
It is not said, that any are levelled against the gov-
ernment. The political, moral, and historical works
of the Chinese, contain no abstract ideas of liberty,
M'hich might lead them to the assertion of indepen-
dence.
" The art of Printing, has been the mean of
diffusing, universally, and establishing among all
ranks of men, certain fixed principles of right, and
rules of moral rectitude, which serve as so many
dykes, or barriers, against the tumult of human
passions, and restrain the propensities of conquerors
J82 HISTORY OF PRINTING
in the plenitude of power. At every change in the
governments of the neighboring countries, not so
circumstanced, success, like a torrent, sweeps be-
fore it, and levels all former arrangements of soci-
ety ; but, in China, institutions and opinions, sur-
vive the ^vreck of revolutions. The sovereign msty
he removed, his whole family cut off; but, the
manners and conditions of the people remain the
same. The throne itself is supported by maxims
from the press ; the virtues of its possessor are bla-
zoned by it to all his subjects. It gives him the
vast advantage of directing their sentiments as he
thinks fit. His palaces, his gardens, his magnifi-
cence, create no envy toward a prince represented
to be endowed with the most transcendent qualities ;
and to be employed, without intermission, in pro-
moting the happiness of his people."*
Dictionaries, almanacks, and novels which are,
generally, simple and interesting, are allowed to be
published in China ; and, pennission has been given
,to the Christian missionaries, who visited that comi-
tr}^, to publish several religious works in the Chi-
nese language.
Dr. Ducarel, commissaiy general of tlie city
and diocese of Canterbury, keeper of Lambeth
library, &c. had a collection of specimens of Chi-
nese ingenuity, among which, Nichols,t in 1776,
* Staunton's Embassy. Vol. 2.
t Nichols's Orig. of Printing, p. 300. Bowyer and Nich-
ols were two eminent printers in London, whose account of
Printing was introduced into the Encyclopedia. As many writ-
ers on Printing will be mentioned in the course of this work,
r.N CHINA. 83
saw a Chinese book, in which all the miracles re-
corded in the New Testament, are exhibited, printed
from wooden blocks ; our Savior, the apostles, and
all persons therein mentioned, are dressed in Chi-
nese habits. The Jesuit missionary, probably, gave
the Chinese block cutter an European book, with
prints, for him to copy ; and directed him to dress
the figures in the fashion of his country, as being
most pleasing to its inhabitants.
I will make the reader acquainted with some of them who are
modern, viz. — Dr. Conyers Middleton, keeper of the public li-
brary at Cambridge, in England, was celebrated for his learn-
ing, and acquaintance with ancient typography. — The Rev. Mr.
Lewis, an English author, who has written much on the sub-
ject.— Joseph Ames, esq. fellow of the Royal Society, and sec-
retary to the Antiquarian Society, who, in 1749, published a
large quarto volume of The History of Printing in England,
Scotland, and Ireland, and has given more particular and mi-
nute details of English typographical antiquities, than any other
author.— Andrew Coltee Ducarel, l.l.d. commissary general
of the city and diocese of Canterbury, and f.r. a. s. of Eng-
land.—Mr. Palmer, who wrote a history of Printing in Eu-
rope.— M. Maittaire, a very respectable French writer, and
author of Annales Typographic^ — John Enchedi, a well edu-
cated printer, in Holland, who made great researches to ascer-
tain the origin of the art in Europe, and published a treatise on
the subject.— P. Luckombe, m.t. a. author of The History and
Art of Printing in England. — C. Stowers, author of The Print-
er's Grammar, and History of Printing, lately published in
England ; a work which may be very serviceable, not only to
master printers, but to journeymen and apprentices. — Gerard
Meerman, mentioned p. 68; who, when in England in 1759,
received the degree of doctor of civil law at the university of
Oxford.
84 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
In the curious and extensive collection of
George Perry, Esq. f. a. s. in England, was a
number of admirable specimens of Chinese print-
ing, which demonstrate the zeal and the genius of
the Jesuits. Among those specimens was a book
intitled, " Sinurum Scientia Politico — M oralis, a P.
Prospcro Intocretta, siculo, Societatis Jesu, in lu-
Qem editu." Pait of the book was printed at Can-
ton, and the other part at Goa. The license of the
\ ice provincial of the order is dated " In urbe Quam
Cheu metrepoli Sinensi provincias Quam tiim, die
31, mensis Julii, anni, 1667." After a preface,
printed at Goa, with Roman types, there is a second
title, viz. *' Scientia Sinciae liber secundus. Chum
medium. Yum constanter tenendem Versio litera-
lis." Then follow twelve double leaves in Chinese
characters, with a Latin version, in Roman charac-
ters, all cut in blocks in the Chinese manner, printed
at Canton ; and fourteen single leaves in the Euro-
pean manner, printed at Goa. In the translation of
this latter pait, both the Chinese and Latin are print-
ed with separate types. The Roman types are of
metal coarsely cast; and, those of the Chinese, are
cut on wood. The volume closes with the life of
Confucius, in Latin, with several Chinese words in-
terspersed; and, an additional license.*
* Nichols's Origin of Printing, p. 286.
EUROPE.
Discovery and Progress of Printing.
IF we consider the remote periods in which the
arts and sciences began to flourish in Europe, we
shall think it remarkable, that, previous to the fif-
teenth century, no method of multiplying copies of
the works of the learned, or of communicating past
and present events, should have been practised, ex-
cept by the slow operation of the pen of the spribe,
the pencil of the painter, or the chisel of the sculp-
tor ; especially, as China, where the art of Printing
has been practised for a thousand years, was not
unknoAvn to Europe.
Bacon says. Homo naturae minister et interpres,
tantumfacit et intelligit, quantum de nature ordinej
re, vel ?nente observaverit : nee amplius scit, aut
potest. Perhaps the European world was influenced
by this maxim ; or, other sufficient reasons might
be given for the slow progress of this discovery. In
ancient times, we may believe, there were not many
readers of books, although the number who pur-
chased them was not small ; and, it was a business,
a trade, to copy them,
86 HISTORY OF PRINTING
The scribes formed a numerous fraternity ; and,
were much interested in preventing the introduction
of any new practice, or art, which would take from
them their bread. They had brought their art to
great perfection ; and no one, who is not acquainted
with ancient manuscripts, can have a just idea of
the neatness of their performances. The forms and
sizes of the types for Printing, were taken from the
letters as written by the scribes, just as the copper-
plate engravers now engrave from written copies.
In short. Printing, for a considerable length of time,
as has been observed by a British \vriter, was " as
much the cotmterfeit, as it ^vas the stibstitute of
writing ;" being the fac simile of the hand writing
of the most approved scribes.
Should we even admit, tliat some method of
printing wns known in ancient times, we cannot
wonder that the common use of the art met with
successful opposition. That, at least, a partial
knowledge of the art existed many centuries ago,
is probable. Seals, or signets, must have been in
common use before the time of Moses, for they are
mentioned very familiarly ; and, directions are given
for engraving precious stones. We find, that Beza-
leel, and Aholiab an engraver and a cunning -work-
man — wrought onyx stojies ifjclosed in ouches of
gold; GRAVEN AS SIGNETS ARE GRAVEN, with
the names of the children of Israel.^- We further
find, that they were in the habit of engraving the
sai-dius, topaz, carbuncle, emerald, sapphire, ligurc,
Jigate, amethyst, beryl, jasper ; and, the dlamondy
• Exodus, xxxix. 6. 14.
IN EUKOPE. 87
(which, it seems, no caie can tmw engrave ;) for it
is said, that these stones were according to the names
of the children of Israely twelve^ according to their
names, like the engravings of a signet, evert/ one
mith Ms name J according to the twelve tribes. Hence
it is evident, that engravings were made in stones
as well as metal ; and, we may suppose, dierefore,
impressions wene taken from the engravings, and,
consequently, the first principles of printing known,
even in those early ages.
Homer is called the most ancient author of all the
heathen world ; and from his writings, particularly
from his description of the shield of Achilles, it is
sufficiently evident, that the art of engraving and
embossing was cairied to a very great degree of
perfection in his time. Had he never seen en^-av-
ings in metal, it is next to impossible that he could
have given a description, so exact in all its propor-
tions, as is that of which we are speaking. In the
centre of the sliield, he describes the earth, -with tlie
gun revolving round it — ^the full moon — ^the signs
of the zodiac— with several of the constellations.
Round that picture he describes twelve others, in
twelve separate compartments, representing, first,
a marriage ; second, an assembly of the people ;
third, a senate ; fourth, a beleagured town, with a
sally of the besieged; fifth, shepherds and their
flocks fallen into an ambuscade ; sixth, a battle ;
seventh, tillage ; eighth, a harvest ; ninth, a vin-
tage ; tenth, lions and herds of cattle ; eleventh,
sheep ; twelfth, the dance ; and, round the >^'hole,
he represented the ocean.* As most of the poets
* Homer's Iliad. B. 18.
S8 HISTORY Of PRINTING
took their images from the labors of the painters,
sculptors, &c. we may conclude Homer did the
same. Indeed, from Ms own words it amounts to
a certainty ; for he acknowledges, that his repre-
sentation of the dance, on the shield, is similai' to
one made at Gnossus, by the renowiied Daedalus,
for the queen of Crete.
In like manner, if we examine the historians and
poets of all succeeding ages, we shall find materials
to justify the opinion, that the art of engra^dng has
been known from time immemorial ; and, that al-
though Maso Finiguerra, and the other Florentine
engravers, made some innovations and improve-
ments in the art, they were, by no means, the inven-
tors of it ; and, we may reasonably believe, that
though the ait of Printing was not brought to any
great degiee of maturity, the means for performing
it were not entirely unknown ; especially, as it is so
neai'ly allied to engraving.
Ulphilas, who flourished about the yeai' of Christ
370, became the apostle of tlie Goths, and converted
many of them to Christianity. At that period, the
Goths used the Runic characters ; but, as those
characters had been used in magic incantations,
Ulphilas would not employ them in the cause of
Christianity ; he, therefore, invented new charac-
ters, which were called the Mceso Gothic ; and into
that language he translated the Bible. A large part
of this identical version of Ulphilas, was found,
many years ago, in the abbc}'^ of Werden, in West-
phalia. It was carried from that place to Prague,
where it was discovered by the S^vedes, in 1648, who
conveyed it to their queen, Christiana ; and, it is
IN EUROPE. 89
now deposited in the library of the university of
Upsal. The Swedish antiquarian, Ihre, who has
published an edition of the remains of this ancient
work, gives it as his opinion, that the letters in the
original were made by hot metal types, in the man-
ner the backs of books are lettered ; for the letters,
except the initials, are all of silver ; and thence the
work is called the Codex Argenteus — ^the initials are
of gold. Carr, who examined this book, supposed
the letters were made by the pencil ; which, proba-
bly, was the fact; although, it is not impossible
that types, of some sort, were known in the days of
Ulphilas ; but, in the dark ages which succeeded,
that knowledge might have been obscured, or ex-
tinguished. [5] We cannot, however, be certain
that the Dutch and German printers, to whom v\^e
ascribe the merit of the invention, had not a knowl-
edge of this work of Ulphilas ; or even of the exist-
ence of some kind of types ; and, of the Chinese
method of printing, which had existed from 500 to
700 years at least, before the time of Laurentius or
Geinsfleiche.
If the Dutch and German printers did make a
new, and a second discovery of the art, it is strange
that the mechanical management of the business,
should have been exactly the same as had been hO
long known and practised in China. It is not im-
possible that the art of Printing, on the European
continent, should have been discovered by accident.
This has been asserted by all writers on the subject,
excepting those to whom the credit of the invention
is given; they have said but little respecting it;
and some doubts will always remain on the mind,
1 M
90 HISTORY or PRINTING
whether some information conceniing the Chinese
method of printing, had not been communicated to
him who first, as is commonly supposed, attempted
the business in Europe.
Great disputes have arisen, respecting the place
where the art was first discovered and practised, in
Europe ; and, who made the discovery. Almost
as many cities have contested the honor of the
invention, as ever contended for being the birth
place of Homer. Didymus, it is said, wTote hun-
di'cds of volumes, chiefly with a view to determine
that question ; and, perhaps, his works may be
outnumbered before the true origin of Printing is
ascertained. In the midst of this uncertainty, how-
ever, I proceed to state such facts, as ai-e the result
of accurate disquisitions on this well canvassed sub-
ject ; those that are admitted, ai'e as follow.
1. That the cities of Haerlem, in Holland, and
Mentz and Strasburg, in Germany, all claim the
honor of being the birth place of the art of Print-
ing.
2. That Laurentius, sometimes called Coster,
Koster, or Kustos, has the best claim to the honor
of the discovery, which was made about the year
1429 ; or, as several writers state, not earlier than
1422, nor later than 1436.
3. That he lived at Haerlem, was a man of large
property, had a lucrative office under the govern-
ment, and there practised printing in its original
rude state.
4. That Laurentius, for some time after he
began printing, used wooden blocks, or plates, on
^vhich he engraved, or carved, in pages, &c. the
IN EUROPE. 91
words for several small works ; in some of which
were pictures, cut in the blocks with the words.
These he printed only on one side of vellum, or
paper, and doubled and pasted the leaves together,
thus forming them into books. After practising
this way for a few years, he invented and used sep-
arate wooden types, but never attempted to cut or
cast types in metal.
5. That Laurentius employed several servants
in his business ; among whom was John Geins-
fleiche, senior. There were two brothers of that
name — the younger was sometimes distinguished
by the name of Guttemburg. He was an ingen-
ious artist, and lived at Strasburg.
6. That John Geinsfleiche, senior, communi-
cated, first, the theory of the ait ; and, afterwai'd
the practice of it, to his younger brother ; whom,
for the sake of distinction, I shall, hereafter, call
Guttemburg.
7. That Laurentius followed printing during
the remainder of his life ; and that, after his death,
the business was continued in his family at Haer-
lem, for many years.
• 8. That John Geinsfleiche, the servant of Lau-
rentius, about the time that his master died, with
the aid of a fellow servant who was his accomplice,
took an opportunity, on a festival, to steal a con-
siderable part of his master's wooden types, with
other parts of his printing apparatus, and abscond-
ed ; and having conveyed his plunder toMentz, his
native place, he there commenced printing, about
the yeai' 1440, with the types be had stolen from
his master.
92 HISTORY OF PRINTING
9. That after Geinsfleiche settled at Mentz, hf
was assisted with money, &c. by Jolin Fust, alias
Faust, alias Faustus, a rich and very respectable
man; who, consequently, sliared the profits witt|
Gemsfleiche. Fust and Geinsfleiche afterward form^
ed a company, and admitted as a partner John Mei-i
denbachius, with some other persons.
10. That Guttemburg, the younger brother of
Geinsfleiche, continued at Strasburg till 1444, and
was in various emplo3'ments ; but he made great
efforts toward attaining the art of Printing with cut
metal types. He could not, however, bring the
art to any degree of perfection. It is believed by
some, that he, and the partners with whom he was
concerned, printed a few verj^ small works. Their
performances, have ail disappeared ; and, as far
as is known, have been entirely destroyed. Al-
though, whilst at Strasburg, Guttemburg had made
consideralDle progress in improving the art ; yet,
having quarrelled widi his partners, and being in-
volved in law suits, he quitted that city, and joined
his brother at Mentz.
11. The two brothers had the management of
the printing business at Mentz ; and they united
their endeavors to form a fount of metal types, with
cut faces. Their method of making these types
was, first to cast the shanks, or bodies, to a suitable
size, and afterward to engrave, or cut, the letters on
them.* After a labor of several years, they accom-
plished the undertaking ; and in 1450 a part of the
* Polydore Virgil mentions, that metal types, with cut feces,
vcre first thought of in 1442.
(N SUROPB. 93
Bible appeared from their press, which was printed
with those types. The same year, and very sooa
after they began to work with those types, the part-
nership between the brothers, Fust, and company,
was dissolved ; and a connexion between Fust and
Guttemburg commenced ; but a difference between
them arising, an action at law was instituted by
Fust, for money advanced to Guttemburg; and»
their joint concern in business ended in 1455. Af-
ter this, Guttemburg was assisted by Conrad Hu-
mery, syndic of Mentz, and others ; and, this new
company opened another printing house in that city.
Fust also continued the busmess ; and took into
partnership one of his servants, called Peter Schoef-
fer ; an ingenious man, who had become very skilr
fol in the printing business.
12. That Schoeffer, in 1456, completed the in-
vention of metallic types, by casting them with,
faces. " He privately cut matrices for the whole al-
phabet ; and, when he shewed his master the types
cjast from these matrices. Fust was so much pleas-
ed that he gave Schoeffer his only daughter in mar-
riage.'* There were, at first, many difficulties with
these types as there had been with those of wood,
and those that were cut on metal. One was owing:
to the softness of the metal, which would not bear
forcible pressing ; but this defect, as well as some?
others, was soon remedied. The first book printed
with the improved types was Durandi Rationale, It
was not finished till 1459.
These facts give us a clear idea of the rise and
progress of the art, until it was, in a great measure^
brought to perfection, by the invention and use of
metal types, cast with faces.
94 HISTORY OF PRINTING
It will now be proper to make some further in-
quiry respecting the manner in which the art was
discovered ; and, the claims of the cities of Haerlem,
Mentz and Strasburg, to the honor of having made
the disco ver}^
Hadrian Junius* ascribes the invention of Print-
ing to Laurentius. Some have controverted his au-
thority ; but, it has been, eventually, very generally
admitted to be indisputable. This Junius relates,
that Laurentius was the son of John Laurentius,
who held the reputable office of Custos, or edituus,
of the cathedral church in Haerlem ; which circum-
stance occasioned the epithet of Gustos or Koster,
to be added to his name. Others mention Lau-
rentius the younger, merely by the additament of
Koster. Junius explained — That he received this
information from his schoolmaster, Nicholas Galius,
and, from Quirinius Talesius,t his acquaintance
♦ In his Batavia. p. 253. ed. Ludg. 1588. Hadrian Junius
was born at Horn, in Holland, in 1511. He was at first rector
of the Latin school, and teacher of natural philosophy at Haer-
lem, where he composed a Greek and Latin Lexicon, to which
he added 6500 words : — He wi'ote also Animadversa et de Co-
ma Commentarius, which was greatly applauded. His histoiy
of Holland is Avritten in elegant Latin. He was the author of
many other works ; became a learned physician ; and prac-
tised for some time with much reputation in England, where
he was esteemed a man of great integrity and impartiality.
Vide Biographic Generale des Pays Bas. Art. Jun.- — Encyc.
vol. 9. &c.
t Quirinius was many years amanuensis to the learned
Erasmus, as appears by his epistle dated July 23, 1529. Opera.
Tom. iii. p. 1222. In 1537, he was scabinus ; and consul ia
IN EUROPE. 9S
and correspondent ; both of whom were men of
respectable characters.— That GaUus had his testi-
mony immediately from Cornelius, who was a fel-
low servant with the elder Geinsfleiche and others,
to Laurentius the younger, when he practised the
art of Printing. — This Cornelius, after the death of
his master, Laurentius, was bookbinder to the ca-
thedral of Haerlem ; a branch of business which
had, long before, been performed by the Franciscan
friai's ;■ — ^that he lived to a great age ; and, accord-
ing to the register of that cathedral, died in 1515 ;
— and, that he was a very conscientious man, and
often spoke with sorrow of the loss his master had
sustained by the roguery of Geinsfleiche, his fellow
servant, associate and bed fellow.
The account they gave of the discovery of Print-
ing, is as follows. — " Laurentius went to walk in a
wood near the city (as the citizens of opulence used
to do) and when there, he began at first to cut some
letters upon the rind of a beech tree, which for fan-
cy's sake he afterwards set and ranked in order, and
put with their heels upward upon paper, and so im-
pressed or printed on paper, one or two copies, as
specimens for his grandchildi^en (the sons of his
daughter) to follow in writing. This having hap-
pily succeeded, he meditated greater things, as he
was a man of ingenuity and judgment ; and, first of
all, with his son in law Thomas Pieter, invented a
more glutinous ink, because he found the common
ink sink and spread, and then formed whole pages
1552. He lived during the troubles in the Low Countries;
and was killed by the Spanish soldiers in 1573. Some have
written his name Salesius.
96 HISTORT OF PRIKTING
of wood with letters cut upon them ; of which sort
I have seen some essays in an anonymous work
printed only on one side, in which it is remarkable
that in the infancy of printing (^ nothing is com-
plete at its first invention) the back sides of the pages
were pasted together,* that they might not by their
nakedness betray their deformity. This book was
entitled Speculum nostra salutis.^^
Junius then goes on to mention Gerard Thomas,
whom he knew, a person of great reputation, and a
great grandson to Laurentius, who gave him a sim-
ilar account of the invention of printing to that
which he had received from Galius. Junius ob-
serves, " A new invention never fails to engage cu-
riosity ; and, when a commodity, which was uncom-
mon, excited purchasers, to the advantage of the
inventor, the admiration of the art increased ; de-
pendants, workmen and servants were multiplied-—
the first calamitous incident ; among them was one
John, unfaithful and unlucky to his master. This
man, bound by oath to keep the secret of Printing ;
when he thought he had learned ttie art of joining
the letters, the method of making the types and
other things of that nature, takii g the most con-
venient time that was possible, on a Christmas eve,
when every one was customarily employed in lust-
ral sacrifices, seizes a collection cf types, and other
implements of printing, and, wiih one accomplice,
marches off to Amsterdam, from thence to Cologne,
and at last settled at Mentz, as at an assylum of se-
• This account of the first printing in Europe, proves the
method to be similar to that practised by tlie Chinese.
IN EUROPE. 97
curity, where he might go to work with the tools
he had stolen.* It is certain that in a year's time,
viz. in 1442, the Doctrinale of Alexander Gallus, a
grammar which was much used at that time, togeth-
er with the Tracts of Peter of Spain, came forth
there also, from the same types that Laurentius had
made use of at Haerlem." This is the substance of
the account which Junius tells us he received from
Nicholas Galius, to whom it was related by Cor-
nelius ; and from Quirinus Talesius his intimate
friend, t
Petrus Scriverius, an early writer on the dis-
covery of Printing, gives an account substantially
the same as that of Cornelius. He says ; " Lau-
rentius walking in the wood, picked up a small
bough of a beech, or rather of an oak tree, which
had been broken off by the wind. He sat down
and amused himself with cutting some letters on it ;
and wrapped up, in paper, the part he had thus en-
graven. He afterward fell asleep, and when he
awaked, he perceived that the paper, having been
moistened by a shower of rain, or some other acci-
dent, had received an impression from the letters
he had engraven; which induced him to pursue
the accidental discovery."
No one but Laurentius himself could tell how
he discovered the art ; and, it is probable, he gave
• « It is not to be supposed that Geinsfleiche carried
ofFthe whole printing apparatus of his master ; but a pait of
his types, and such things as were necessaiy for specimens
to form others by," &c. Nichols's Orig. Print,
t Meerman. Orig. Print.
In
98 HISTORY OF PRINTING
the accounts, related by Junius and Scriverius, td
his friends and servants ; but let this matter be as
it may, the truth of his being the first who made
use of it in Europe, must have been known to
many. The fact is well supported by abundance
of testimony produced by Gerard Meerman, in his
Orig'mes Typographicce ; and, by other credible
writers.
Respecting the claim of Mentz to the invention
of Printing, it is agreed by the best writers that it
cannot be admitted. But the invention of metal
types,, both with cut and cast faces, is certainly due
to that city ; and this is, unquestionably, the most
important of all the branches connected with the
typographical art ; for all the subsequent improve-
ments ai'e of minor importance.
In regard to the claim of Strasburg to the inven-
tion of metal types, I cannot agree, altogether, with
Meerman and others who assert, that it is entirely
Avithout foundation. It is admitted by those who
oppose the pretensions of Strasburg, that Guttem-
burg, the brother of Geinsfleiche, was, for sevei'al
years, employed in endeavoring to attain the art of
Printing ; and, it could not be meant simply print-
ing from wooden blocks; for it is proved, that
Guttemburg and his partners were at such gi-eat ex-
pense of time and money, in attempting the
business, that they became bankrupts. It aj^pears
from an authentic record of a judicial decree of the
senate of Strasburg in 1439, that Guttemburg and
his associates engaged In the business about the year
1436 ; and European wiiters admit, that Guttem-
burg persevered in his endeavors to become mas-
IN EUROPE. 99
ter of the art, until he left Strasburg m 1444, when
he joined his brother at Mentz. They all allow that
metal types were the invention of the two broth-
ers Geinsfleiche and Guttemburg. They further
admit, that Guttemburg was more ingenious than
Geinsfleiche in the mechanical arts ; but they are
silent as to which of the two invented the cut face
metal types. Geinsfleiche did not use metal types
till after his brother joined him at Mentz ; it is,
therefore, as some writers mention, highly probable
that Guttemburg was employed, at Strasburg, in
endeavoring to complete the cut face metal types ;
but that for want of a more accurate knowledge of
the art of Printing, which he could only obtain
from his brotlier, he failed in his attempts till he
joined Geinsfleiche at Mentz ; where, by their
united endeavors, they became successful. So
that, although Guttemburg did not accomplish what
he had long labored to complete at Strasburg ; yet,
it is almost certain, that he performed some printing,
either from blocks, or moveable wooden types, or
from those of metal with engraved faces, in the
course of several years that it appears he was em-
ployed in that business, before, he removed to
Mentz. No proof to the contrary has been pro-
duced. And, as he was engaged in cutting metal
types long before any thing was printed at Mentz,
this circumstance may, in some measure, justify
the claim of Strasburg to the invention of metallic
types ; and, even her pretensions that the art of
Printing was practised in that city before it was
known at Mentz.
100 HISTORY OF PRINTING
The claims of the three cities have, however,
been determined, and arranged by Meerman, Nich-
ols, Sec. as follow — ^the discoven^ and first rudi-
ments of the art, are allotted to Laurentius of
Haerlem ; — the invention and improvement of the
moveable, cut face, metal types by Geinsfleiche,
senior, and his brother Guttemburg, and the com-
pletion of the business by the invention of metal
types, cast with faces, by Schoeffer — ^to which op-
erations John Fust, or Faust, had the honor of con-
tributing by his liberality — the merit of this is giv-
en to Mentz ;■ — but the claim of Strasburg, they
set aside, as altogether unsupported, and unsup-
portable.
It is not strange that the origin of an art which
has given light to all other arts, should be involved
in obscurity ; when we consider what has been ob-
served by Meerman, Maittaire, and many others,
who have wTitten on the subject, viz. " that Print-
ing was invented as a more expeditious method of
multiplying books than by wiiting, which it was at
first designed to counterfeit ;" and, consequently,
was concealed from motives of private interest,
rather than revealed to the honor of the first in-
ventor ; and the advantage of the public.
The Psalter, printed by Fust and Schoeffer, at
Mentz, in 1457, is celebrated for the beauty of its
typography ; and, although it is difficult to believe,
that an art, so complicated, could be brought to so
high a degree of perfection in the course of fifteen
or sixteen years, from so rude a beginning ; yet,
such is the fact.
IN EUROPE. 101
I will here remark, that the Psalter of Fust and
SchoefFer, is the first book to which any printers
put their names, or which is known to have a gen-
uine date ; but, from that time, it became common
for printers to ascertain the works they printed by
putting their names, and the date when the work
was executed, in an imprint at the end of the vol-
ume.
Having stated the facts respecting the discovery
of the art of Printing in Europe^ as they are re-
lated by the best authors ; and given an account of
Printing tlirough its several stages, from wooden
blocks, to separate wooden types ; and from cut face
wooden and metal types, to its completion with
metal types cast with faces ; I will now proceed
with an account of the earliest printers ; taking
them in the order of time in which they arose.
HOLLAND.
JOHANNES LAURENTIUS; alias Laurence Zanssbn,
alias Coster, alias Kostus, or KosteR) alias Law-
RENTz Jan Koster ; of Haerlem.
THIS is the person to whom the writers on the
origin of Printing give the credit of first discover-
ing* the art in Europe. His real name is said to be
Johannes Laurentius; and, as I have before re-
marked, the addition of Coster, Kostus, &c. is a
mere title of ofiice^ which was given to his father j
10^ HIST'pRy OF PRINTING
who was, by the citizens of Haerlem, elected their
edituus or custos, according to a privilege granted
to them by count Albert of Bavaria. In a diploma
signed by count Albert, in 1390, the father of Lau-
rentius is mentioned by the name of Johannes Lau-
rentii filius.*
Laurentius, the printer, was bom at Haerlem,
about tlie year 1370, from an illegitimate branch of
the Gens Brederodia. He was edituus, or custos,
after his father, and was, at different times, appoint-
ed to several departments of the magistracy. His
offices are said to have been very lucrative. He
was religious ; a man of great property ; and, lived
in a splendid style,t in a fashionable house, at Haer-
lem, in the market place, opposite die royal palace,
now the town house.
I have already related the inanner in which, it is
said, he made the important discovery diat led to
the art of Printing. According to the best accounts
given of him, he must then have been about fifty
nine years of age. He practised the ait eleven years ;
and, during that time, he made great improve-
ment in it. The precise date of the discovery, can-
not be determined ; but, it is believed to be about
the year 1429. Scriverius, whose testimony has
not been disputed, when mentioning the year in
which Laurentius died, i. c. 1440, observes, that
his discovery was made about ten or twelve years
before tliat period. He further mentions, that soon
after Laurentius had developed the first principles of
the art, he exhibited some rude specimens of his
• Meerman*s Orig. Typog. tlbid.
IN EUROPE. 103
performances. Junius gives a more particular ac*
count, which was derived from the servants of Lau*
rentius ; and, afterward, describes some of those
specimens, which he saw. One of them was the
Horarium,
More modern writers inform us of some of the
early productions of Laurentius's invention, seen by
them. Among the manuscripts relating to Haer*
lem, in St. John's college, Oxford, is a letter from
John Laughton, esq. an English gentleman, who
visited Holland in 1699, which is dated Amster-
dam, June 23, 1699. Its contents are as follow.
" I made some stay at Haerlem, and visited the
learned antiquary Van Dalen ; he received me with
abundance of humanity, and shewed me all his col-
lections of antiquities, which are very numerous^
and many extremely curious. He introduced me
td a young lady there, born deaf and dumb, yet
taught to speak and read, very intelligibly, both
Dutch and Latin. Her preceptor is Dr. Amand,
a German ; she is the only child of a very rich mer-
chant. I was very desirous of seeing the first book
printed here by Coster, of which we have had many
false accounts in England. It is kept in a chest in
the Stadthouse ; and the masters keep the key,
which we procured, and found the book to be a
Dutch piece of theology, with cuts, printed on only
one side of the paper. We saw, also, one leaf of
Latin, intitled, ' Liber vitre Alexandri Magni,' that
seems to be monkish Latin. These, the Dutch
say, were printed 1430, the year he invented the
art. There is bound up in the same volume an-
other Dutch piece, said to be printed by Coster in
104 HISTORY or PRINTING
1432. The time when he invented the art, and the
years when those small works were printed, is sig-
nified, not on them, but in an inscription under his
picture in the room where the books are."
Mr. Ellis, in the Philosophical Transactions,-
published in England, gives an account of small
articles said to be printed by Coster, or Laurentius,
as early as 1430 or 1432, but they are all without a
printed date.
I have been informed, that some specimens of
very ancient and unskilful printing are preserved in
the Bodleian library at Oxford ; in that of Bennet's
college ; and, also in the libraiy of the king of Eng-
land ; they are said to be samples of some of the
first essays of Laurentius in the art of Printing, im-
pressed from wooden blocks before he had acquired
the art of making ink suitable for the purpose ;
and, like some other samples, before mentioned,
are printed only on one side of the paper, which
is doubled, and the pages pasted together. As
many frauds have been practised by the artful
venders of ajicient books ; and, as specimens of the
printing of Laurentius are very rare, there is no
possibility of ascertaining whether these relics are,
or are not genuine. If no fraud has been practised,
doubtless, these fragments must be allowed to be-
long to that period when the art of Printing was
first attempted.*
* Notwithstanding the European virtuosi have been able to
make very considerable collections of ancient piinted books,
yet, such is the scarcity of articles from the press of Lauren-
rius, that in all the cuiious libraries and cabinets of antiquities,
IN EUROPE. 105
As no name or date appeared with the books of
Laurentius, to shew that they were from his press,
only the following can be ascertained to have been
printed by him.
Horar'mm. Mentioned before ; supposed to have
been impressed in 1430 or 1431.
Oe Spiegel ©nser 'Befioeoinge^ it was
printed from wooden types made separately, and
executed in a superior manner to the Horaiium ;
— it, however, bears evident features of the in-
fancy of Printing. In this work are pictures, im-
pressed from wooden blocks on which they were
cut ; they are the first that are known to have been
introduced into any book, or letter press work.
De Spiegel is one of the books described by Had-
rian Junius ; mentioned by Ellis, and by many oth-
ers. A copy of it has been carefull}" preserved at
Haerlem, and from time to time she^vn to the curi-
ous. It was seen by Mr. Laughton, in 1699 ; and,
since by Meerman, who has given a fac simile
of one of its pages, among other specimens of the
printing of Laurentius, in his Origines Typograph-
icce. From the best accounts, it appears to have
been printed in 1432.
Grammatica Donatio Commonly called Dona*'
tus. Some fragments of a copy of this book, printed
on parchment, were, near tliree hundi'ed yeai's after
the death of Laurentius, discovered by John Es-
to which Meerman extended his researches, he could find only
two or three works that were entire and some fragments of
others, which were genuine. But he discovered many facts,
and detected many errors and impositions, relative to the in-
vention and progress of printing in Europe.
1 o
106 HISTORY OF PRINTING
chedi, an ingenious printer in Haerlem. Eschedi
had purchased, at a low price, some remains of an
ancient hbrary ; among which was a very old Dutch
Psalter, that excited his curiosity. On examining
the binding of the Psalter, he found, to his surprise,
pasted to the cover, part of a copy of this identical
edition of Donatus.*
Liber Vitce Alexandri Magni.
Speculum Belgium. Printed about 1438, with
moveable wooden types.
Speculum nostr^e Salutis. This was generally
called Speculum. It was a Latin version of the
Spiegel Onser Behoedinge, and said to be printed in
1440, with moveable wooden types.
Grammatica Donati. A second edition, of a
smaller size than the first ; and, is supposed to have
been issued from the press in 1440.
It is believed that he printed many other books,
but I do not find that any mention has been made
of them by his biographers. All the editions of his
works were printed part on vellum and part on
parchment. His press was shaped like the common
wine presses. He died in 1440, aged 70 years.
It does not appear that Laurentius had any son ;
but he had one daughter, whose name was Lucia,
She was mai'ried to Thomas Pieter, alias Peter
Thomas, who, in company with his sons, succeeded
Laurentius at Haerlem.
Dr. Wallisf relates that, in the time of Hege-
nitz, the house in which Laurentius lived, was still
* Seiz's Treatise. Published 1740.
t Inquiry into the Origin of Printing.
IN EUROPE. 107
Standing in the market place at Haerlem, with an
inscription, in golden letters, over the door, of which
the following is a copy.
" Memoria Sacrum.
Typographicas Ars, artium Conservatrix, his pri-
mum inventa circa, Ann. M.CCCC.XXX.
Vana quid Archetypos, et Prasla Moguntia jactas,
Haerlemi Archetypos, Praelaque nata scias.
Extulit hie, monstrante Deo, Laurentius artem ;
Dissimulare virum hunc, dissimulare Deum est."
THOMAS PIETER and SONS, of Haerlem.
Thomas Pieter son in law of Laurentius,
IS mentioned by Cornelius, as being concerned with
Laurentius in bringing the art of Printing to that
degree of perfection, which it attained in his days.
It is said, that Pieter, with his three sons, Peter,
Andrew and Thomas, were the successors of Lau-
rentius, and carried on the business several years.
Cornelius continued in the family some time after
the death of his master ; and, assisted Pieter and his
sons. Only a few of the books they printed can
be identified ; as, like Laurentius, they printed for
profit, not for fame. They neither put thei? names
to the books, nor added the date when, nor the place
where, they were printed. It is, however, agTeed„
that the sons of Pieter printed new editions of the
Donatns and the Speculum ; and, afterwards reprint-
ed the Speculum with a Latin translation; in the
execution of which work, they used their grand-
108 HISTORY or PRINTING
father's wooden pictures; and printed the book
partly on wooden blocks and partly on wooden sep-
arate types. This was done between the years
1442 and 1450.* After that time they printed sev-
eral editions of the Speculum^ both in Latin and
Dutch. Copies of four editions of this book are
now to be seen in Haerlem.f
The grandsons of Laurentius printed with wood-
en, separate types, the following books ; specimens
of which are given by Meerman, viz.
Historia Aleooaiidri Magni. New edition.
Flavii Fedatii, for Vegetii, Renati epitome de re
Militari. And,
Opera Varia, Thomas a Kempis. In 1472.
Thomas a Kempis is supposed to be the last
book which was issued from the press of Laurenti-
us's descendants ; whose industry in improving the
art of Printing is sufficiently manifested by the neat-
ness of the editions of their works. They, soon
after printing Kempis, disposed of their printing ap-.
paratus ; this might be owing to the invention and
general use of metal types.
Junius mentions, that the three grandsons of
Laurentius attained the consular dignity. Peter
and Andrew fell in the civil war of 1492.
♦ Meennan. Vol. 1. p. 150. tibid.
IN EUHOPI. 103
GERMANY.
JOHN GEINSFLEICHE, the Elder, of Mestz.^
I HAVE before related, that this John Geins^
fleiche was accused by Cornelius, Hadrian Junius,
&c. of having stolen a part of the wooden printing
types of his master.
Several credible writers, some of whom lived
before Junius, and others his cotemporaries, bear
testimony to the fact — ^that Geinsfleiche robbed Lau-
rentius of his types, and fled with them to Mentz.
They give to Laurentius the merit of having dis-
covered the art of Printing ; and, confirm the ac-
count which has been given by Junius, that Corne-
lius and Geinsfleiche were servants, at the same time,
to Laurentius. The following writers, who cor-
roborate this material part of our history, appear to
have derived their information through difierent
channels, t
1. Ulric Zell, almost coeval with Cornelius, was
a German. He attained tlie rudiments of the art,
at Mentz, by officiating, as corrector of the press,
under Fust and Guttemburg ; and was afterwards
the first who practised Printing at Cologne. Zell
* Mentz was, at the period of Avhich I am treating, an im-
perial city. It was afterward subjected to the crown of France.
t Meerman's Documents, lxxxi— lxxxiv.
110 HISTORY OF PRINTING
published the Chronicon of Cologne, a work written
under his own inspection ; in which he is profess-
edly an advocate in favor of Mentz ; but, he admits,
that the foundation of the art was laid at Haerlem.
2. " Zurenus, in Joannis van Zuyren reliquiae,
ex opusculo de perdito cui tit. Zurenus junior,
sive de prima, et inaudita hactenus vulgo, et veri-
ore tamen artis typographicse inventione dialogus,
nunc primum conscriptus, autore Joan. Zureno,
Harlemeo, ad amplissimum virum N. N. asservatcc
—a Petr. Scriverio in Laurea Laurentiana, c. ii."
3. " Theodorus Volckardi Coornhertius in
dedicatione prsemissa versioni Belgicas Officiorum
Ciceronis, edit. Harlem. 1561, atque inscripta con-
sulibus, Scabinis, et Senatoribus ejusdem urbis."
4. " Henricus Pantaleon, Lib. de viris illustri-
bus Germanise, part. ii. Ed. Basil." He mentions
two circumstances worthy of notice ; one, of the
manner of hiding the types when they were stolen,
" eos literas in sacculis clausis secum in officinas
tulisse, atque abeuntes abstulisse." The other re-
lates to the honor paid to the first artists.*
* Meerman mentions, that to follow any other manual pro-
fession than printing, was accounted a derogation to nobility ;
but, that this art confen-ed honor on its professors. Hence it
was very early practised by many who were of noble families,
and even by eminent ecclesiastics. " John Guttemburg was,
in 1465, received inter aulicos by the elector Adolphus ; and
the emperor Frederic 3d, permitted printers to wear gold and
silver ; and both Tyjiographii and Tyfiothetx were honored by
him with the privilege of wearing coats of anns." — " Typo-
thctis scil. aquil2e,typographis autem gryphi,pedc altero pilam
tinctoriam, unguibus tenentis, scutum donavit, cum aperta ga-
lea, et superimposita ei corona." Vol. 1 . p. 4T, 48,
IN EUROPE. Ill
5. " Ludovicus Guicciardinus, Descrlzzione di
tutti i Paesi Bassi. Edita Antwerp! se, typis Gul.
Sylvii, in descriptione urbis Harlemi."
Geinsfleiche was born at Mentz ; and, that he
was the first who attempted printing there^ is a fact
which is not disputed. It is said his family had
been distinguished by the honor of knighthood;
but, being reduced to poverty, that circumstance
obliged him and his brother to seek a livelihood in
a foreign country. Meerman says, that he was
called Geinsfleiche k«t« l^o^viv.
He fled to Mentz, with his types, about the year
1440 ; but did not publish any thing till two years
after his arrival there. During the interval he was
employed in making preparations for business.
Before he left Haerlem, his younger brother was
engaged in attempts to execute printing at Stras-
burg ; but, being unsuccessful, and learning that
his elder brother, by the assistance of John Fust,
John Meidenbachius, and others, had established
himself in the printing business, and performed it in
a house hired for that purpose, and which from that
circumstance was called ^Utlt JUnSCH,* he left
Strasburg, and went and joined this company at
Mentz, in 1444. As they were all connected to-
gether some years, it may be proper, in this place,
to give some account of the younger Geinsfleiche
and Fust,
* This house ever after retained the name of the Printing
House.
112 HISTORy OF PRINTING
JOHN GEINSFLEICHE, the Younger, alias GUTTEM-
BURG, of SrsASBURG.
It has been observed by those who have written
coiiceniing the two Geinsfleiches, that it was not
uncommon, in the age in which they lived, to call
two brothers by the same chi'istian name ; to which
other names were, occasionally, added by way of
distinction. Upon this principle the younger Geins-
fleiche took the addition of Guttemburg — by which
name I shall designate him in the course of this
work.
Guttemburg was born at Mentz ; but he lived,
several years, at Strasburg. At that place he had
several partners, who were employed in various
branches of business ; particularly, in attempting to
improve the art of Printing. Originally they were
lapidaries, looking glass makers, &c.
Guttemburg is supposed to have had a knowl-
edge of the art, as it was practised at Haerlem ;
which, it is thought, he acquired by visiting his
brother, who was in the service of Laurentius ; and,
it is probable, that when Geinsfieiche fled from Hol-
land to Mentz, he visited Guttemburg at Strasburg,
and gave him some farther information respecting
the business. At that time, it is believed, they pro-
jected the cut metal types ; about which Guttem-
burg was, afterward, much employed, without be-
ing able to bring them to perfection, before he went
to Mentz. He is represented as being more skilful
IN EUROPE. 113
in mechanic arts than his brother, but, it is said,
failed in completing the types from the want of a
more competent knowledge of the art of Printing.
The autlior of a very curious treatise on engrav-
ing, which was published at Leipsic in 1771, men-
tions, that Guttemburg fell short of the completion
of his design, from his not being able to form his
whole collection of types of a uniform height.
Whatever was the cause of his failure, he nearly
ruined himself and his associates at Strasburg, by
his projects. He differed with those partners, whose
names were Andrew Drizehen, Andrew Heilmann,
and John Riff; and he was involved in three law-
suits witli them,* as appears by an authentic judi-
cial decree of the senate of Strasburg, in 1439, after
the death of Drizehen. That unfortunate man died
in 1438 ; and, on his death bed, mentioned to his
confessor, that liis connexion with Guttemburg, in
an attempt to acquire the art of Printing, had ex-
posed him to vast expenses, of which a single obo-
lu$ had never been remunerated.
Guttemburg became overwhelmed with debts ;
and, being haiTassed with law suits, he was obliged
to sell every thing he possessed at Strasburg, and
to quit that city.
He had entered into a marriage contract v^ith
Anna, " a noble girl of The Iron Gate,''^ but refus-
ed to fulfil the contract, until he was compelled, by
a judicial decree. They lived unhappily ; — and,
when he went to Mentz, he deserted her.
* Orig. Typog. Vol. 1. p. 163,
1 ?
114 HISTORY or PRINTING
JOHN FUST, alias FAUST, alias FAUSTUS, of Msnte.
Wh e n Geinsfleiche arrived at Mentz, about the
year 1440, he entered into a connexion with Fust,
who was rich, and became the patron of the art of
Printing. He supplied the funds upon which Geins-
fleiche conducted the business. In 1442, Fust and
Geinsfleiche pubUshed the first productions from
their press, viz.
Alexa7id7'i Galli Doctrinale, and
Petri Hispani Tractatiis*
These books were much used in schools ; and
it was thought they produced a handsome profit for
the printers ; as they issued several editions of them
from their separate wooden types.
John* Meidenbachius, and others, became part-
ners in this concern in 1443 ; and, in 1444, they
were joined by Guttemburg. .
This company soon zealously engaged in the
attempt to bring forward the invention of cut face
metal types ; which was a work of great magnitude,
and required so much labor and attention, that it
was not brought to any degree of maturity till about
* Many of the earliest printers had this prenomen, as Lau-
rentius, Geinsfleiche, Guttemburg, Fust, Meidenbachius, Pe-
tershemius, &c. This circumstance led tlie printers at Leip-
sic to choose St. John as their tutelar saint ; and to commem-
orate the festival of St. John the baptist. Jo. Stovius. Wolfius,
Monumen. Typog. Tom. ii.
IN EUROPE. 115
seventeen years after the first discovery of Printing ;
and, they were busily employed two years in com-
pleting a sufficient quantity to begin an edition of
part of the Bible.
During the time the metal types were prepar-
ing, they printed several books from wooden blocks,
and moveable wooden types, among which were.
The Catholicon.
Tabula Alphahetica.
Donati Grammatica.
The Confessionalia.
The Decretals of Gregory IX. And some
Pictures from wooden cuts.
In 1450, an edition of part of the Bible appear-
ed from the metal types with cut faces.
This was the second great era of the
ART.
A disagreement among the partners produced a
dissolution of the company, before the end of the
year 1450. How Geinsfleiche was employed after
this time, does not appear. He was much advanced
in years, and had nearly lost his sight, when he quit-
ted this connexion. He died in 1462.
FUST and GUTTEMBURG, of MEnrz.
After the partnership of Fust, Geinsfleiche, &c.
was dissolved. Fust and Guttemburg formed a new
engagement, and continued together till 1455, when
many difficulties arose ; the partnership was dis-
116 HISTORY OF PRINTING
solved, and an action, brought by Fust against Gut-
temburg, for monies advanced, terminated in favor
of tlie formei'.
Fust, Avhen he separated from Guttemburg,
kept possession of the printing materials, by agree-
ment, and took, as a partner, the ingenious Peter
SchoefFer ; who, as the servant of Fust, had been
instructed and employed in printing by Geinsfleiche
and Guttemburg.
Guttemburg procured some pecuniary assist-
ance from Conrad Humery, syndic of Mentz, and
other friends ; by means whereof, he furnished him-
self with cut face metal types, and opened another
printing house in Mentz ; where, in 1460, he pub-
lished, A\'ithout his name, the Qatholiqon of Jacobus de
Jamia, which was printed in a very handsome style.
He worked with wooden, or cut face metal types,
till the year 1462. In 1465, he was admitted inter
oulicos, as has been mentioned, with a pension ; and
died in February, 1468.
At the death of Guttemburg, Conrad Humery
took possession of his printing materials, under an
engagement to the archbishop Adolphus, that he
never would sell them to any one but a citizen of
Mentz ; they were, however, soon after disposed of
to Nicholas Bechtermuntze, of Altavilla ; who, in
1469, published Vocahularliim Latino Teutonicumy
printed with the same types on Avhich Guttemburg
printed the Catholicon.
There was, formerly, in the front of the house
^^'hcre Guttemburg lived at Mentz, the following
inscription, which was placed there anno 1507.
IN EUROPE. 117
" Joanni Gutte7nberge7isi Mogu77ti?iOy qua primus
omnium literas are Imprimendas iTivenit, hac Arte
de orbe toto bene merenti : Yvo Fintigensis hoc Sax-
urn pro Monumento posuit."^
FUST and SCHOEFFER, of Mesi'z.
Began business together in 1455 ; and, in 1457,
published what was then called a " magnificent edi-
tion" of the Psalter. It was in the press four years ;
and, for those times, was uncommonly elegant.
As it was published in eighteen months after the
retreat of Guttemburg, he must be allowed the
credit of having had a considerable share in the per-
formance. This Psalter is said to ha^^e been print-
ed with a new fount of cut face metal types ; and,
is the first book known to have a genuine date, and
the names of the printers.
Schoeffer turned his attention to an important
improvement in the art. — that of casting types with
faces. He kept the scheme secret, till he became
perfect in the business.
This maybe called the third great era
OF PRINTING.
The first book which was printed with these
new invented types was,
Durandi Rationale, in 1459. Afterward,
The Bible, in 1462, some say 1460.
* Luckombe. Hist. Print.
118 HISTORY OF PRINTING
Tullifs Offices^ which was several years in the
press, and completed in 1465— a second edition
was worked off in 1466, according to some, but
this is contradicted by Maittaire, in his Annals.*
Afterwards, a second edition of the Psalter, on
cut metal types. This edition was not equal to the
first. Many other books were printed by Fust and
Schoeffer.
The edition of the Bible, just mentioned, was
a very expensive work. It was five years in the
press ; and, it was calculated that the expense
amounted to 4000 florins, before they had printed
the twelfth sheet. The work was admirably exe-
cuted. It was this edition of the Bible, as some
authors say, of which Fust took a number of cop-
ies to Paris, where he sold them, first for six, then
for five hundred crowns each, which were the
prices commonly given to the scribes for very ele-
gant copies of the Scriptures. He afterwards, by
degrees, reduced the price to thirty crowns. It is
said, that the purchasers were ignorant that these
copies were printed ; and, that it was the policy of
Fust to make them believe they were written.
They were an exact imitation of the best manu-
scripts.. As he lowered his price, his sales increas-
ed ; and, people were astonished by his producing
copies as fast as they were called for. When he
lessened his price to thirty crowns, all Paris was
perplexed and agitated, both on account of the
* Mait. Annal. Typog. 1719, Vol. i. p. 60 ; but Meerman
observes that, on examination, it was found there were two
editions.
IN EUROPE. 119
number of books produced, and the uniformity
of them. It was beUeved, that he had made a
league with the devil ; and, he was accused of be-
ing a magician. His lodgings were searched, by
the officers of police ; — several Bibles were found —
and the red ink with which the illuminators had
made the great capitals at the beginning of each
chapter, was pronounced to be his blood. Fust
fled, and escaped the death which awaited such
hapless victims of superstition as, in those days,
were suspected of being necromancers. From this
event, originated the story of " The Devil and Dr.
Faustus."
At the commencement of their business. Fust
and Schoeffer printed, chiefly, on parchment ; but,
a multiplicity of copies occasioned a scarcity of that
article, and they printed afterward on paper, with
the exception of a few copies, which were printed
on vellum for the purpose of being elegantly illu-
minated.
Fust had the surname of i^Uttttdn, or Good-
man, given to him ; on account of his beneficence,
and the good he did, by employing so many
people;* but, notwithstanding his eminence, and
the fame he acquired, no one has handed down to us
an account of the period at which he died. It is
believed he did not live longer than the year 1470.
He is called Fust, Faust and Faustus, by different
writers.
* Vide the Chronicle of Jo. Carion.
120 HISTORY OF PRINTING
PETER SCHOEFFER, of Mentz.
Completion of the Invention of Printing.
The consummation of the art, is, of course, dat-
ed from the time when Schoeffer finished his inven-
tion of metal types with cast faces ; the credit of
which belongs exclusively to him, although they
were used during the time of his copartnership with
Fust. This was, as I observed before, a new era
in the art of Printing ; and, it is from this period
tliat many of the Europeans date the invention of
the art in Europe.
It is said, that Laurentius, Geinsfleiche and
Guttemburg, who used blocks and wooden types,
w^ere classed, by the Germans, among the Q6t00f*
tn^tCtj^) so called, who painted playing cards on
paper, and pictures on both paper and parchment.
But, after the discovery of the method of impress-
ing tlie languages on those substances, by means of
SchoefFer's cast metal type^, the Dutch made use of
the verb IPtlHtCn, to express the mamier in which
that kind of impressions were made, or taken, and
hence was derived the term Printing, [c]
Cutting the types in wood or metal, was a
tedious and expensive process, and retarded the
progress of^thc art ; but, the invention of Schoeffer
IN EUROPE. 121
relieved it from those difficulties which confined it
to Haerlem, Mentz or Strasburg ; and, in a short
period, it was carried to almost, all the capital cities
of Europe. It has since been spread into Africa,
America — and even to the " thrilling regions of
thick ribb'd ice," in the northern parts of Europe—-
not excepting Iceland.
While Fust was in partnership with Geins-
fleiche and Guttemburg, Peter SchoefTer of Gerns-
heim, who was his servant, learned from them the
art of Printing. Schoeffer, on account of his inge-
nuity and industry, became the paitner of his mas-
ter, and had the management of the business, after
Geinsfleiche and Guttemburg separated from Fust.
Several of the performances of Fust and Schoeffer,
have already been mentioned.
From the superior genius, and inventive facul-
ties, of Schoeffer, he soon excelled both Geinsfleiche
and Guttemburg in the printing business. Not
long after his connexion with Fust, he, by repeated
trials, arrived at the object his active mind had con-
ceived— an object which established his fortune—
and will hand his fame down from age to age, as
long as the art shall endure.
When Schoeffer had finished a few of his metal
types, cast with faces, he shewed them to Fust, who
was so overjoyed by the discovery, that he promis-
ed Schoeffer his only daughter Christiana, or, as
others say, S)pn0n, [Dinah] in marriage— which
promise he soon fulfilled.
At first, many difficulties attended these types,
as well as those which were cut. To cast them all
exactly of a height ; to make the faces range in a
1 <i
122 HISTORY OF PRINTING
line, and to compound the metal so as to be fusible
and make the cast cleai-, yet of such firmness, when
cast, as to stand the necessary pressure, &c. were
objects not accomplished in a moment, but which
it was indispensably necessary to attain, before the
types could be useful. These difficulties, and all
others, Avere overcome by the perseverance and in-
genuity of Schoeffer.
The art of manufacturing these types was con-
cealed, by administering an oath of secresy to all
with whom they entrusted the discovery, and em^
ployed in their foundery and printing house, till the
year 1462 ; when, through the sacking of Mentz,
by Adolphus, the workmen were driven into other
countries ; and, as they practised the art as a mean
of subsistence, the secret soon became known in all
the places to which they fled.
A clear account of the means used by Schoeffer
in making his types, is given by Trithemius,* who
had it from Schoeffer himself, in 1484 ; to which
may be added the testimonies published by Jo.
Frid. Faustus of Aschaffeiiburg, a descendant of
Fust, from papers which had been preserved in the
family ; and, the evidence of Jolin Schoeffer, the son
of Peter Schoeffer. f
Schoeffer is said to have been one of the first
engravers on copi>er ; he was so, as respects en-
* Aimales Hirsaugiens. Tom. II. ad ann. 1450. p. 421.
t In a cololihon to an edition of Breviarimn Trithemi. John
Schoeffer succeeded his father as a printer. Meerman Orig.
Typog. vol. ii. p. 144. Wolfius Mon. Typog. vol. l.p. 468.
IN EUROPE. 123
graving the moulds for casting types ;* but the art
of engraving on that metal ^vas known and practised
long before his time.
In 1468, SchoefTer printed an edition of Justin-
ian's Institutes, to which was added the following,
with other lines in praise of printing, and of those
who, in Mentz, had made improvements in that art.
*' Natio quccque suum poterit reperire charagma
Secum ; nempe stylo prasminet omnigeno."
The same versifier WTites thus, respecting the
invention of cast metal types.
" Hos dedit eximios sculpendi in arte magistros,
Cui placet in mactos arte sagire viros,
Quos genuit ambos urbs Moguntina Johannes,f
Librorum insignes protochai'agmaticos.
Cum quibus optatum Petrus venit ad Polyandrum,
Cursor posterior, introeundo prior ;
Quippe quibus praestat sculpendi lege, sagitus
A solo dante lumen et ingenium."|
In 1471, after the death of Fust, Vv^e find Schoef-
fer in partnership with Conrad HenlifF, a kinsman
* Jo. Frid. Faustus, says, that Schoeffer, " by the good
providence of God, found out the method of cutting incidendiy
the faces of the chai'acters in a matrix, that the letters might
be singly cast ;" and, that " he privately cut matrices for the
whole alphabet."
t By ambos Joannes, Meerman is of opinion that the poet
refers to the two Johns, Geinsfleiche and Guttemburg ; the
first inventors of metal types with cast ft\pes.
I A translation of the above, which appears to be a mixture
of several languages, rendered more difficult by technical
124 HISTORY OF PRINTING
of Fust ; but, how long this connexion lasted, has
not been ascertained. Schoeffer continued the print-
ing business till 1490, and published many books.
The last book known to be printed by him was
an edition of the Psalter. He printed forty eight
books, in various sizes, as mentioned by Schwart-
zius.* Meerman has increased the number ; but,
probably, he included the works of the society of
Fust and Schoeffer.
Peter Schoeffer was succeeded in the printing
business by his son John, to whom the exclusive
pri-\^ilege of printing Livy, was granted by the em-
peror Maximilian.
temis, is not attempted ; but the following lines, presented by
a friend, may, perhaps, pass for an imitation.
The nation which all others would excel,
Like him must learn the art of printing well.
Whoever would in arts resplendent shine,
Let him pursue the sculptor's art divine ;
Following the two — of science the bright morn—
The JOHNS renown'd, who in fam'd Mentz were born.
Or He, II the husband of the gi'aphic arts —
Old Gcrnshiem's pride — ^the man of various parts.
Great was his fame ! — his well earn'd honor more
Than that of all the men who rose before !
He holy writ fulfils — for though the last,
His fame transcends all those of ages past !
The typographic art he made secure.
By laws, and skill, and light, which shall endure
From age to age, till types shall be no more.
II Schoeffer.
* Schwartziusj Primar. Docum. de Orig. Typogr. par. ii. p. 4,
IN EUROPE. 125
Having traced the art of Printing in Europe,
from its commencement by Laurentius, in Haer-
lem, to the consummation of the discovery, by
Schoeffer, at Mentz ; and, having briefly stated the
claims and pretensions of Haerlem, Strasburg and
Mentz, to the honor of the original invention — by
which it appears that, as nearly as can be determin-
ed by the most diligent and minute investigation,
the art was first discovered at Haerlem, about
1429, or 1430, carried to Mentz in 1440, and at-
tempted at Strasburg about the same period ; but,
that after Guttemburg removed from Strasburg, it
was confined to Haerlem and Mentz, till the yeai'
1462 ; — I will now give a concise account of what is
called " its dispersion" into other parts of Europe.
Upon the taking and sacking of Mentz, the
workmen of Schoeffer were scattered abroad ; and,
thus the art of Printing was spread to the distant
cities where they fixed their abode. Chiefly by
their means the art became known at Strasburg,
Boulogne, Tours, and Paris ; — where it was prac-
tised, as well as in several other cities, before it was
introduced into England.
ENGLAND.
IN regard to England, a voluminous controversy
has existed whether the first press was set up in
Westminster, or at Oxford ; which question never
has been, and perhaps never will be fully and satis^
factorily settled.
126 HISTORY OF PRINTING
The celebrated William Caxton had, for nearljr*
two hundred years, the credit of being the first who
transplanted the ait into Greatbritain. He was a
mercer, and citizen of London, but went to the con-
tinent on his own business, and was employed in it,
as well as in public affaii's, for several years, in Hol-
land, Flanders, Germany, he. While abroad, he
was commissioned, jointly with Richard Whitehill,
esq. to negotiate and conclude a treaty of com-
merce between his sovereign king Edward IV, and
the brother in law of that monarch, the Duke of
Burgundy, who, at that period, held the sovereignty
of Flanders. When Caxton was in Germany, the
knowledge of Printing had pervaded a considerable
pait of Europe. He acquired a proper understand-
ing of the business ; furnished himself with a print-
ing apparatus ; and, for three years, practised the
art at Cologne, where he was patronised by the
duke and dutchess of Burgundy.
About the year 1473, he returned to England,
and set up a press in Westminster Abbey ;* and,
there he continued to print till he died. He receiv-
ed the patronage of the nobility, the royal family,
and paiticular encouragement from the abbot of
* Newcourt, in his Rc/iertoi-iu?n, torn. 1. p. 721, differs,
though not materially, from this account. He says, « St.
Anne's, an old chapel, over against which the lady Margaret,
mother to king Henry VI, erected an almshouse for poor
Avomen. The place whereon tins chapel and almshouse stood,
was called the eleemosynary or almonry, as the alms of the
abbey were there distributed to the poor ; in which the abbot
of Westminster erected the first printing press put up in Eng-
land for William Caxton, citizen and mercer,"
Speci'nfN r/' ///( //hi/ ///■/ //f/ '/'J' a/ OxpoHit, Hx(iL.\JVD.
(J^jrpUcit erpofvcio faucti Jctomimm
fim bob apoflolozunt ao p ap am lauxie
cmm 3mprena (^ronie (&t finita An
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IN EUROPJE. 127
Westminster. The fact, that he was the first who
introduced the art into England, is justified and
confirmed by many public and private records ;
and, by chronologers and almanack makers, who
mentioned him as the first printer, from time to
time, and from year to year, without contradiction,
till about 1660.
A dispute arose, in 1642, between some per-
sons who printed by virtue of a patent from the
crown, and the company of stationers, respecting
the patents. A petition was presented to parliament
for a law to enforce a better regulation of the art of
Prmting; and to recal several patents. A com-
mittee was appointed, who heard counsel for and
against the petitioners ;— and, in the course of the
pleadings, Caxton was acknowledged as indisputti-
bly the first printer in England. No other printer
was mentioned ; or, perhaps, ever thought of, at
that time, as having a primogenial claim.
But at length a book was taken notice of by
some curious antiquarians, bearing the date of its
impression at Oxford in 1468. This book was
first discovered in the public library at Cambridge ;
and afterwards found in other ancient libraries. It
was a small volume of forty one quarto leaves, with
this title, Exposicio Sancti Jeronimi in Simholum
Apostolorum ad Papain Laurencium y* and, at the
end, Explicit exposition &c. Impressa Oxonie et
* The types with which this book was printed, it is said,
were made after the manner of those used by Laurentius •
that is, on wood, sejiarately and moveable. Sec the specimens*
suinexed, No. I, and II.
128 HISTORY OF PRINTING
Jinita Anno Domini M. CCCC .Ixviij . xvij — die De^
cemhris. As the date of this book was fair, and
bore no appearance of fraud, it, at once, lobbed
Caxton of tlie fame which had so long been attach-
ed to his memory, and created a strong doubt of his
being justly considered as the father of printing in
England. His partizans, however, soon raised ob-
jections, one of wliich was, that this exposition was
antedated, either by accident or carelessness, by the
omission of an X ; which, added, would make it
1478, the period which had ever been assigned to
the establishment of the first press at Oxford. As
there are many proofs that mistakes like this had
occurred, the fame of Caxton began to revive ; but
in 1664, Richard Atkyns, esq. who claimed some
exclusive privilege in printing, under the royal pa-
tents, and who had then, as appears, a law suit with
the company of stationers, respecting a book, to
the copy of which he had a patent right ;-*-publish-
ed a pamphlet, intitled, " The Original and Growth
of Printing, collected out of History, and the Rec-
ordes of the Kingdome, wherein it is demonstrated
that Printing appertaineth to the Prerogative Royal,
and is a Flower of the Crown of England." The
design of this pamphlet was to give the right and
title of Printing to the crown ; and, by that mean,
to ascertain the validity of the patents granted by
the crown. To support this argument, it was stated
that an ancient manuscript record was discovered
at Lambeth House, in the registry of the see of
Canterbury-, the purport of which is as follows, viz.
— That, " as soon as the art of Printing made some
noise in Europe, Thomas Bourchier, archbishop of
OF EUROPfi. 129
Canterbury, moved king Henry VI, to use all pos-
sible means for procuring a " Printi?7g Mould,''' for
so it was then called, to be brought to England.
The king taking advice how to effect his design,
concluded it could not be brought about, without
great secresy, and a considerable sum of money
given to some person who should draw off some of
the workmen from Haerlem, in Holland, where it
was invented. The king furnished Robert Tur-
nour, then master of the robes, with a thousand
marks, and Turnour took to his assistance William
Caxton, a citizen of good abilities, who traded
much to Holland, and, on that account, formed a
good pretence for going and tarrying in the Low
Countries* to attain the art. Turnour was in dis-
guise— ^had his beard shaven off, &c. but Caxton
appeared in public, being known. They went to
Amsterdam, then to Leyden, not daring to enter
Haerlem itself; for the town was very jealous, imd
had imprisoned divers persons who came from oth-
er parts with the same intention. They spent all
their money, and the king sent them five hundi'ed
marks more. At length, a bargain was struck be-
tween Caxton and Tourner and two Hollanders, for
bringing off one of the under workmen, named
Frederick Corseillis, who, late one night, stole from
his fellows, in disguise, into a vessel prepared for
his reception — and he anived safe in London. By
means of the archbishop, who was appointed chan-
cellor of the university, Corseillis was can-ied by a
guard to Oxford, it being thought imprudent to set
him to work in London ; which guard constantly
watched to prevent Corseillis from any possible es-
1 R
130 HISTORY OF PRINTING
cape till he had made good his promise in teaching
them how to print. So that, at Oxford, Printing
was first set up in England, before there was any-
printing in France,* Spain, Italy or Germany, ex-
cept the city of Mentz, which claims the priority ia
printing even over Haerlem itself, calling her city
Urbem Moguntinam artis typographic cc inventricam
primum ; though it is known to be otherwise, that
city having received the art by the brother of one of
the workmen of Haerlem, who had learned it at
home of his brother, and afterward set up for him-
self at Mentz."
The pamphlet then goes on to state that, " This
Oxon press was at least ten years before there was
any printing in Europe, except at Haerlem, and at
Mentz, where it was but new bom. This press at
Oxford was afterward found inconvenient to be the
sole printing press of England, as being too fiir from
London and the sea ; wherefore, the king set up a
press at St. Albans, and another at Westminster,
where they printed books of divinity and physic, as
the king, for reasons best known to himself and
council, permitted, then, no law book to be printed;
nor did any printer exercise that art, but only such
as Avere the king's sworn, servants ; the king himself
having the price and emolument for printing books.
By these means the art grew so famous that anno
primo Richard 3. c. 9, when an act of parliament
* This is an error, for before what is supposed to be the
spurious date of the book printed at Oxford [1468] there was
a press at Boulogne. It was established there as early as
1462 ; there was also one at Paris in 1464, and another in
Rome in 1466, 8cc.
IN EUROPE.
151
tras made for restraining aliens from using any
handicrafts here, except as servants to natives, a
special proviso was inserted, that strangers might
bring in printed or written books to sell at their
pleasure, and exercise the arts of Printing, illumi-
nating and ^vriting, notwithstanding the acts — so
that in the space of fifty years, by the indulgence
of Edward 4th, Edward 5th, Richard 3d, Heniy
7th, and king Henry the 8th, the English proved so
good proficients in Printing, and gi'ew so numer-
ous, as to furnish the kingdom with books ; and so
skilful as to print them, as well as any beyond the
seas ; as appears by the act of 25 Henrj^ 8th, cap.
15, which abrogates said proviso for that reason ;
and it was enacted in said statute, that if any person
bought foreign books, bound, he should pay 6s. 8d.
per book ; and further, if any printer or seller of
books were unreasonable in their prices, they should
be moderated by the lord chancellor, lord treasurer,
the two lords justices, or any two of them, who also
had power to fine them 5s. 4d. for every book the
price whereof should be enhanced ; but when they
were by chaiter incorporated with bookbinders,
booksellers, and founders of types, and called the
Company of Stationers ; they kickt against the pow-
er that gave them life, &c. Queen Elizabeth gave
the sole privilege of printing all books that touch
the law, or concern the common law of England, to
Tottel, a servant to her majesty ; and after his death,
Vest Weirt, another servant to her majesty ; and
after them, king James granted the same privilege
to More, of the signet, which grant continues to
this day," &c. &c.
132 HISTORY OF PRINTING
The year following, 1465, the house of com-
mons thought proper to inquire into the right of
the king's prerogative respecting Printing ; at which
time, it is said, the Lambeth House record was
examined by a committee of the house, appointed
to draw up a bill relating to the exercise of the art ;
and that this committee borrowed the record for
that purpose, but did not make use of it, and never
returned it ; and, the record has not been seen or
heaixl of since. The advocates for the authenticity
of the record observe, that as sir John Berkenhead,
whom they mention as the borrower of it for the use
of the committee, did not return it to its proper
keeper, it was probably destroyed in 1666, in the
great fire which consumed upwards of 13,000 houses
in the city of London, and an almost infinite num-
ber of literary productions.
The late discoveries of the learned Meerman, in
his researches after ancient Printing, were published
at Amsterdam in 1762. He established beyond
controversy the claim of Haerlem to the discovery
of Printing by Laurentius ; and he, as well as some
other good writers on the subject, are decidedly of
opinion that the Oxford press was the first set up in
England ; and that, at this press, wooden types were
used. They allow Caxton to be the first who
printed with metal types ; and, as the full discovery
of the art should be dated from the invention of those
types, Caxton may be called " the first English
printer." Those, in the opposition, will not allow
there was any press in the kingdom till Caxton es-
tablished his, and most of the best English writers
on Printing, appear to be of that opinion. [^/]
IN EUROPE. 133
WILLIAM CAXTON, of WESfMiNsrsR.
He was bom in the county of Kent, England,
and served an apprenticeship to Robert Large, a
mercer, who was sheriff and afterward lord mayor
of London. Large died in 1441, and left by will
" xxxiiii* marks to his apprentice William Cax-
ton ;" which being a considerable sum in those
days, we may consider it as a sti'ong proof of his
esteem for the integrity and good character of Cax-
ton.f When young, he went to Holland, &c. as a
factor for the company of mercers, in London, and
appears to have been proud of his business, and of
his country ; for even at the court of the duke of
Burgundy in 1470, he stiled himself " citizen and
mercer of the city of London." In 1464, he was
employed, with Richard Whitehill, esq. as has been
already mentioned, by Edward IV, to negotiate a
treaty of commerce with the duke of Burgundy.
The commission styled them, " Ambassiatores,
Procuratores, Nuncios, et Duputos speciales," and
gave them full power jointly and severally to treat,
&c. It was during his residence at the court of the
duke of Burgundy, between 1466 and 1472, that
he turned his attention to the practice of Printing.
When he arrived in England, the novelty and
usefulness of Printing, attracted particular notice,
* A mark is 13s. 4d. sterling.
t Ames's Typographical Antiquities.
134 HISTORY OF PRINTING
not only of the learned, but of the great men of the
kingdom.* Many of liis books were prmted at
their expense. Several of them were dedicated to
Edward IV ; to tlie king's brother, the duke of
Clarence ; and, to liis sister, the dutchess of Bur-
gundy, in whose service Caxton had been employed
several years, while he \vas absent from England.
He printed various books by order of Henry VH,
and his son, prince Arthur.
The biographers of Caxton, do not mention the
particuku* year in which he was bom ; nor do they
give his exact age. But it appeal's, from various
accounts, that he was about thirty one years old
when his master and patron died. Soon after that
event he went to Holland to manage the concerns of
the company of mercers, having previously been
made a member of that body. By his own state-
ments, given in the prologues and colophons of the
books he first printed, we find that he remained
abroad thirty t^^o } ears ; and returned to England
with a press and types in 1473, when he must have
been sixty tliree years of age. He died in 1491,
aged eighty one years ; and was buried in St. Mar-
gai-et's church, Westminster, This fact is proved
by a record of the church warden's account for
1491, in which there is this item, " Atte bureyng
of William Caxton, for iiii. torchys vi s. viii d."
* Caxton began Printing, in England, in a room belonging
to Westminster Abbey ; in consequence of which, a printing
house, when certain ceremonies are performed by the work-
men to sanction the name, has, down to the present period,
been called a Chajiel.
IN EUROPE. 155
There is another record of his death, in the follow-
ing words, " Of youre charitee pray for the Sowle
of Mayster Wyllyam Caxton, that in hys tyme was
a man of moche ornate and moche renommed ^vys-
dome and connyng, and decessed full crystenly in
the yere of our Lord m cccc lxxxxi.
Moder of merci shyld hym from thorribul fynd
And bryng hym to lyfl'eternall that neuyr hath ynd."
He followed the printing business as long as he
lived ; and, published some works of considerable
magnitude. Among them was The Canterbury
Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer, which Mr, Ames sup-
poses he completed in 1475, or 1476, This work
he printed from a very imperfect copy ; and, as his
candor does honor to his heart, I will give, in his
own words, his reasons for undertaking a second
edition ; presuming it will be agreeable to the read^
er to see the identical language which was spoken
and written by the Father of English Printing.
When Caxton was informed of the imperfections in
his first edition of The Canterbury Tales, he says he
undertook a second, to satisfy the author, whereas
before by ignorance he had eiTcd, in hurting and
defaming his book ;■ — " whyche book I have dyly-
gently oversen, and duly examyned, to thende that
it be made accordyng unto his owen makyng ; for
I fynde many of the sayd bookes, whyche wiyters
have abrydgyd it, and many thynges left out. And
in some places have sette certayn versys that he
never made ne sette in hys bookc ; of which bookes,
so incorecte, was one brought to me vi. yere passyd,
whyche I supposed had ben veray true and corecte.
136 HISTORY OF PRINTING
and accordyiig to the same I dyde do enprynte a
certayn nomber of them, whyche anon were sold to
many and dyuerse gentyl men, of whom one gentyl-
man cam to me, and sayd that this book was not
according in many places unto the book that Gef-
ferey Chaucer had made. To whom I answered,
that I had made it accordyng to my copye, and by
me was nothyng added ne mynusshyd. Thenne he
sayd he knewe a book whyche hys fader had and
moche louyd, that was very trewe, and accordyng
unto hys owen first book by hym made ; and sayd
more, yf I wold enprynte it agayn he wold gete me
the same, book for a copye. How be it he wyst
well, that his fader wold not gladly departe fro it.
To whom I said, in caas that he coude gete me
suche a book, trewe and correcte, yet I wold ones
endeuoyre me to enprynte it agayn, for to satisfy
thauctour, where as to fore, by ygnoraunce, I erryd
in hurtyng and dyffamyng his book in dyuerce pla-
ces, in setting in somme thynges that he neuer sayd
ne made, and leuing out many thynges that he
made, whyche ben requysite to be sette in it. And
thus we fyll at accord, and he ful gentylly gate of
hys fader the said book, and delyuered it to me, by
whyche I have corrected my book, as heere after
alle alonge, by thayde of almyghty God, shal folowe,
whom I humbly beseche," &c.
In addition to the other evidences and c ^njec-
tures, adduced to prove that Caxton was the father
of Printing in England, I might ha\'e added that of
the famous antiquary, Joh. Leland, who was nearly
contemporary with Caxton ; part of his works hav-
ing been written about forty years after Caxton
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IN EtIROPfi. 137
died. This Leland was library keeper to king
Henry VIII ; and was employed by the king about
twelve years, to examine the libraries of the differ-
ent monasteries in the kingdom, and to collect
whatever was curious therein. He wrote an ac-
count of his discoveries, which he called his Itinera-
rium. In a work of his, entitled, De arte amandin
written before he undertook his Itinerary in 1540,
he speaks thus of Caxton, Gulielmum Caxodwium
hominem nee indiligentem^ nee indoctum^ et qiiem
constat primum Londini artem exei'cuisse typograph-^
icam, &c. In another work of Leland,* he ex-
pressly calls Caxton " the first printer of England."
In an appendix, I shall insert several of the colo-
phons, &c. to Caxton's books, which may prove
interesting to the curious. In most of them he
left a space, at the beginning of the chapters, for the
illuminator to make the large capitals according to
custom ; but he, sometimes, used large two line
letters with Gothic faces, which were called " Ang^p
Norman, t .. ,
• De Script. Brit. p. 480. — The celebrated Henry Whai'-
ton alsp affirms, "that Caxton was the first who Uiiported
Printing into England."
t For specimens of Caxton's types and printing, see the
plates annexed to this work ; they are copied from Ames's
English Typographical Antiquities.
138 HISTORY OS PRINTING
WYNKYN DE WORDE, of WESfmssrsR,
De Worde succeeded, Caxton at Westmia-
ster. He had been apprendce to him in Burgundy,
emigrated to England with him, and remained with
him as long as he lived. He styled himself *' Prynt-
er to Margarate, &c. the Kinges Grandame." Most
of the writers who mention him, say that he Wcis
very skilful in his profession. He printed acts of
parliament, &c. after his master's death. His first
care was to furnish himself with a new set of
punches, and new casts of types, with handsomer
faces than those used by Caxton. The faces of the
types made by De Worde, are tlie same as those of
the IBlflCfejSl of the present day. He introduced
Roman letters, and was the first who used them in
England ; but they were only for emph^ical words,
in the manner we now use Italics.
De Worde did much business, was in great
repute, and, like his master Gaxton, was learned,
accomplished and pious. He died about the yeai'
1535. De Worde carried on the business six or
seven years in the printing house which had been
occupied by Caxton. At the end of the first work
he executed, he printed these lines, viz.
" Infynyte laude, with thankynges many folde,
I yielde to God, me socouryng with his grace
This boke to finyshe, which that ye beholde.
Scale of perfeccion calde in every place ;
IN EUROPE. 139
Whereof thauctour Walter Hilton was,
And Wynkyn de Worde this hath sett in prynte
In WiUiam Caxston's hows, so fyll the case,
God rest his soule. In joye ther mot it stynt.
Impressus, anno sahitis M cccc Lxxxxiiii."
As a conclusion of this brief account of the in-
troduction of Printing into England, I will give an
extract from the last will and testament of one of the
ancient English printers, viz. the abovementioned
Wynkyn de Worde, successor of Caxton.
He commends his soul to God and the blessed
St. Mary ;* and, his body to be buried in the paro-
chial church of St. Brides, in Fleet street, before the
high* altar of St. Katherine.. — " Item. For tythes
forgotten, 6 s. 8 d. To the Fraternity of our Lady,
of which I am a Brother, 10 s. to pray for my soul.
To my maid, 3 1. in books. To Agnes Tidder,
widow, 40 s. in books. To Robert Derby, 3 1. in
printed books. To John Barbanson, 60 s. in books,
and ten marks. To Hector, my servant, five marks,
sterling, in books. To Wislin, 20 s, in printed
books. To every of my apprentices, 31. in printed
books. To my servant James Ganer, twenty miu'ks
in books — and forgive John Badil, stationer, all the
money he owes me, for executing this my will with
James Ganer ; and that they, with the consent of
the wardens of the parish of St. Brides, purchase at
least 20 s. a year, in or near the city, to pray for my
soul and say mass. To Henry Pepwell, stationer,
* At this time our ancestors in England were, chiefly, Ro-
man catholics.
140 HISTORY OF PRINTIWG
4 1. in books. To John Gouge, forgive what he
owes me, and 4 1. To Robert Copland, ten marks,
and to Alard, bookbinder, my servant, 6 1. 15 s. 4 d"
There was no press in London, till the year
1480, when two foreigners, supposed to have been
brought over to England by Caxton, whose names
were John Lettou and William Macklinia, or Mac-
lyn, followed the printing business, sometimes in
pai'tnersjiip, and sometimes separately.
After the year 1470, the knowledge and practice
of Printing, was rapidly diffused over Europe. To
give a particular account of the introduction*of it
into each country and city, would be tedious and
unintei-esting. An alphabetical list of the cities and
to^vns, the names of the persons by whom, and the
dates when, it was first introduced, will be thought
sufficient. Such a catalogue I have extracted from
Maittaire's Annales Typographici, torn, primi, pars
posterior, Amster. 1733 ; Nichols's Origin of Print-
ing ; Meerman's Origines Typographicas ; Middle-
ton's Dissertation on the Origin of Printing, &c.
This catalogue I have enlai^ged and completed from
various other authorities — added the places in
America, where Printing first made its appearance ;
and, arranged it in the order following, viz.-
IN :europe, &c. 141
EUROPE, ASIA AND AFRICA.
Date of
Citiet. Mimes of Printers. Priting.
AbbeviUe, ter Girard, 5 ^^^^
Albans, St. Anonymous, 1480
Alcala di Henarez, ^
[Complutum in y Anonymous, 1494
Spain.'\ 3
Altavilk, Italy, Nicolas Bichtermuntze, 1469
Amherg, Anonymous, 1471
Angers, John Alexander, 1498
Angoulesme, Anonymous, 14^3*
Antwerp, S Anonymous, 1479
^' ^ Gerard Leeu, 1480
Aquila,mAbrunno, Adam de Rotwil, 1482
Augsburgh, John Bemler, 1466
Avignon, Nicholas Lepe, 1497
Austria, city af* Gerard of Flanders, 1480
Bamberg,or Bern- ^ j^j^^^ p^^.j^ ^^^^
Barcelona, Anonymous, 1473
• This is a very vague account. By the city of Austria^
perhaps Vienna was meant. By Gerard of Flanders- we may
probably understand Gerard de Leeu, or Leen, of Antwerp,
whom Luckombe places at Gouge in 1479, and Bowyer and
Nichols at Antwerp in 1480. Perhaps he removed to Vienna,
or some other city of Austiia, the same year. It is probable
by Gouge was meant Ghent, or, as the French call it, Gand.
142
HISTORY OF PRINTING
Basle,
Bergamo,
Berlin,
Besangon,
Bois Le Due,
Boulogne,
Bourges,
Brescia,
Bruges,
Bruno: [Q.Brmis-
Tvick .^3
Brusselsi
Buda,
Burgdorf,
*Chen,
Cara^'ossa, \^Sara-
Colle,
Cologne,
Constance,
Constantinople,
Convent of Regu-
lars at Schoenho-
ven,
Cosenza,
Cracow,
Cremonay
Deventer, in Over-
yssel,
Delft,
Dijon,
Dole,
Anonymous,
Bernard Richel,
Anonymous,
Anonymous,
Anonymous,
Anonymous,
Balthazar Azoguidus,
1475
1476
1498
1484
1487
1487
1462
or
1471
1493
1496
1474
I Anonymous,
^ Frederick Alemanus,
Henry of Cologne, Sta
tius Gallicus,
Colard Mansion, 1475 or 1476
^ Anonymous, 1488
Anonymous, 1476
Andrew Hess, 1473
Anonymous, 1475
Jacobus Durand, 1480
J Anonymous, 1491
^ Pablo Hurus, 1499
Bonus Gallus,. 1471
John KoelhofF, 1470
Anonymous,^ 1489
Anonymous, 1490
> Anonymous, 1500
Octavius Salmonius, 1478
Anonymous, 1500
Bernard de Misintis, 1485
5 Anonymous, 1472
I Richard Paffroit, 1477
Jacob Jacobs, 1477
Anonymous, 1491
John Hebeitus, 1492
IN EUROPE, &C.
Eichstedt, Michael Reisser,
Erfurthy Anonymous,
ErgoWy Elias fils Eliae,
Esslingen^ \^Suahia\ Conrad Fyner,
~ Andrew Gallus,
Bernard & Dominick
Cenini,
Kilianus,
Jiisto,
S Anonymous,
\ Arend de Keysere,
5 Anonymous,
\ Jacobus Amollet,
Anon3'mous,
Matthew Moravus,
Genti^, [Q. Ghent P^ Anonymous,
Q Anonymous supposed
' as early as
St. Giacomo de Ri- J
noli, la inonaste- } Dom. de Pistoria,
rif at Florence']
Ferrara,
Florence,
Friburg,
Gaieta,
Ghent,
Geneva,
Gebejinensi,^
Genoa,
Gouda,
Grenada,
Haguenau,
Haerlem,
Hasseleti,
Heidelberg,
Hoolum, Iceland,
5 Anonymous,
Gerard Leeu,
Anonymous,
C Anonymous,
< John de Garlandia,
( Henry Gran,
C Laurentius,
< John Pieter & Sons,
( Jacobus Begaard,
Anonymous,
5^ Anonymous,
\ Jacobus Knoblocker,
John Mathieson,
143
1488
1482
1470
1475
1471
1472
1493
1488
1483
1485
1478
1498
1481
ll74
1480
1580
1477
1478
1480
1496
1475
1489
1496
1430
1442
1484
1481
1480
1489
1530
* In the book whence this adjective Avas originally taken,
it was, probably, preceded by a substantive, indicating some
place of the Cevennes. C. D. M.
144
HISTORY OF PRIPfTING
Ingolstadt,
Peter Appian,*
1492
LantriguieTy
Jolm Casney,
1499
T -^ • C Anonymous,
^'P''"^ ^Marcus Brandt,
1481
1484
Leiria^ or Lyrth
Anonymous,
1494
Lewisy Q.
Anonymous,
1479
Ley den y
Anonymous,
1497
Lignitz, [Lignis^
Anonymous,
1481
Lintz,
Peter Asselin,
1500
Lisbojjy
Anonymous,
1491
'Anonymous,
1481
Will, de Macklinia,
1481
John Lettou
1481
Londouy *
Richai'd Pynson,
1493
Nicolas Le Conte,
Julianus, [Notaire] &
1494
^J. Barbier,
1498
LouvaiUy
Jo. de Westphalia,
1473
Lubecky
Lucas Brandiz, Disde ">
de Schafz, 5
1471
Lunenhergy
John Luce^
1493
Lyonsy
Bartholomew Buyer,
1477
Madridy
Anonymous,
1494
Magdeburgy
Anonymous,
1483
Mamlkiy
Anonymous, as earty as
1590
Mantuay
Tho. Septemcastrensis 7
& Socii, S
1472
Me.mi.,en, ^XTKre.
1483
1490
(
1 Geinsfleiche,
1442
MentZy
\ Fust andGuttemburg
1450
(
^ Fust and Schoefter,
1455
Messina ^ William Scenberger,
1486
.XrjLl^ OOt'/<'t4'y
I Andrew de Brugis,
1497
MilaUy
Anthon}- Zarot,
1470
• He was an astrologer ; and the emperor Charles V»
presented him with five thousand crowns.
IN EUROPE, &C.
145
Miranduta^
Modena,
Anonymous,
Balthazar de Struciis,
Dominick de Niraldis '}
Montr eale,\in Sicily]
Monte Monachorum^ John Sensenschmidt,
5 Ivan Basilewitz,
(.Peter TimofiofFom,
John Limburgus,
5
Moscow.
Munster,
Nantes,
Naples,
Nimeguen,
Nuremberg,
Offenbach,
Oppenheim,
Ortona,
Oudenarde,
Oxford,
Padua,
Palermo,
Pampeluna,
Paris, [Q. 1464 .?]
Parma,
Pavia,
Perpignan,
I
Stephen Larcher,
Sixtus Riessenger,
Jo. de Westphalia,
Anthony Coburger,
Anonymous,
Anonymous,
Jud^i Soncinates,
John Cassar,
Anonymous, [Q. Cor-
seiUis?]
Thomas Hunte, an
EngUshman who
is supposed to
have been taught
by Caxton,
T. R. [doubtless Tlie-
odorick Rood.]]
_Theodorick Rood,
5 Bartholomew de Val- ^
C dezochio, ^
Andrew de Wormacia,
William de Brocario,
C Ulric Gering, Martin
< Crantz , and Micha-
( el Friburger,
< Anonymous,
(Stephen Corallus,
Jacobus, de Sancto Pe
J.
tro,
Rosembach,
1496
1477
1481
1481
1560
1486
1488
1471
1479
1471
1496
1498
1496
1480
1468
1480
1480
1481
1472
1477
1496
1470
1472
1473
1477
1500
146
HISTORY OF PRINTING
Perugia,
Fesaro,
Pescia,
Piacenzay
Pigneroli,
Pisa,
Placentiay
Poitiers,,
Provence {in
Champagne'^
Qidlamboiirg,
Reggio,
Reutlingen,
Ratisbon,
Rimini,
Rome,
Stephen Arns,
Anonymous,
Sigismond Rodt,
Jo. Peter de Ferratis,
Jacobus de Rubeis,
C Anonymous,
\ Gregory de Gente,
John Peter,
{Anonymous, in cedibus 1
Canonici Ecclesi^ >
B. Hilarii,
John de Marnef,
William Tabernier,
Anonymous,
Prosp. Odoardus, Alb.
Maguli,
John Averbach,
Anonymous,
Anonymous,
Conrad Sweynheim,
Arnold Pannartz,*
1481
1494
1488
1475
1475
1482
1485
1475
1479
1500
1497
1480
1481
1469
1471
1486
1466
* They printed several years ; and after having produced
a great mimber of beautiful and correct editions of books, these
ingenious printers, were i-educed to the most necessitous cir-
cumstances. Their learned patron, the bishop of Aleria, pre-
sented a petition to pope Sixtus IV, in 1471, in their behalf,
in which he takes notice of their great merit, and represents
their misery in the most pathetic tei'ms ; and, declares their
readiness to part with their whole stock for subsistence.
They say, " We were the first of the Germans who mtroduced
this art, with vast labor and expense, into the territories of
your holiness, in the time of your predecessor ; and encour-
aged, by our example, other printers to do the same. If you
peruse tlie catalogue of the Avorks printed by us, you will ad-
mire liow and where we could procure a sufficient quantity of
paper, or even rags, for such a number of volumes. The total
of these books amount in number to 12,475 volumes ; a pro-
IN EUROPE, fee, 147
iPresbyteri et Clerici^
Boitoch, j Congregationis cfo- > 1476
( mus viridis horti, j
Rouen, John Le Bourgeois,* 1488
Salamanca, Anonymous, 1495
Salonichi, Anonymous, 1493
Scandiani, Peregrine Pascal, 1495
Schoenhoven, S Anonymous, m Cotz- 7 ^^^^
^ ve7itu Megularium, ^
Schiedam, Sedani, ? » ,.-.„
6'^^a;2, '^Anonymous, 1498
Seville, Paul de Colonia, 1491
Sienna, Sigismund Rodt, 1489
C Anonymous, 1484
Soncino, < Abraham filius Rabbi
( Hhajim, 1488
SortenMonasterium, Anonymous, 1478
Spire, Petrus Drach, 1477
Stockholm, John Faber, 1495
C John Guttcmburg, f 1441
^ ' y Henry Eggestein,
1464
or 1471
digious heap, and intolerable to us, your holiness's printers, by
reason of those unsold. We are no longer able to bear the
great expense of housekeeping for want of buyers ; of which
there cannot be a more flagrant proof, than that our house,
though otherwise spacious enough, is full of books, in quires,
but void of every necessary of life." [See Palmer's Hist. Print.
p. 130.] Those printers first attempted the Roman types,
now in use, anno 1466 ; but, they were not brought to perfec-
tion till many years afterward.
* It is probable that he was the inventor of that description
of types, which is still called after him, Boui-geois.
t I take notice of Guttemburg as a printer at Strasburg,
although historians do not allow that he brought any work to
perfection there. He certainly made many attempts at print-
ing in that city.
148 HIST
Sublaco* Abbey ^
Campagnia^
Toledo^
Toulouse^
Treca^
TrevisOy
Tubmgen,
Turin,
TourSi
Valencia^
Venice^
Verona,
Vicenza,
Vienna,
Vienne \_Daxiphint^
ORY or PRINTING
> Anonymous,
C Anonymous,
^ John Teller,
Anonymous,
^ Anonymous,
\ William Le Rouge,
CGirard de Lisa de
\ Flandria,
Fred. Meynberger,
5 Jolin Fabri, and Jo. de
\ Petro,
Anonymous, in domo
Gtdielmi Archiep.
Turonensis,
Anonymous,
Alphonsus de Orta,
fRodolt,
I Joh. de Spira,
I Joh. & Vindelin de
-^ Spira,
I Nicolaus Jenson
I Christo. Baldarfer,
(^Zaccaiia Calliergo,t
Jo. Nicolai filius,
5 Hermanns Levilapis,
\ or Lichtenstein,
Anonymous,
Peter Schenck,
idel
er, J
1465
1486
1495
1486
1480
1492
1471
1488
1474
1467
1475
1496
1468
1469
1470
1499
1472
1475
1481
1484
* Some write Subiaco ; but, probably, it should be Subbiaro.
t Calliergo was bona in Crete. He was a learned man ;
and skilful in printing Greek. He was many years at Venice.
In 1515, under the patronage of pope Leo X, he set up a pres^
in tlie house, and at the expense of the learned Agostino at
Rome ; where he printed a fine quarto edition of the works of
Pindar. This was the first Greek book which was printed a$
Rome.
'
IN EUROPE, See.
149
Fiterbo,
Ulm,
UrbinOi
Udine,
Utrecht,
fFestminster,
Anonymous, 1480
Jolin Zeiner, 1473
Anonymous, 1484
Anonymous, 1498
5 Nicholas Ketzlaer, ">
^ Gerard deLumpt, 5 ^^'^
C William Caxton, 1475
^ Wynkyn de Worde, 1495
Anonymous, 1479
AMERICA.
Spanish Provinces^
Mexico [city, in the~) , i/-rvr.
Province oh I as early as 1600
Lima, Peru, Anonymous, about 1590
Pritish Colonies, now the United States.
Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts,
Poston, do.
Philadelphia [near
to,'] Pennsylvania^
Philadelphia,
Newyork,
Stephen Daye,
Samuel Green,
John Foster,
William Bradford,
do. do.
William Bradford, who
removed from Phila-
delphia, 1693
1639
1649
1674
1687
1689
150 HISTORY OF PRINTING
Newlofidon, Connec 7 ^j^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^
ticut, 3
Newport, Rhodeisl. ? Ja^es Franklin, 1732
ancly 3
JnnapoHsy Mart/land, William Parks, 1726
rrr,,- I rr C William Parks, who
S'""'^ i napolis, 1729
Charlestown, South- > j.,^^^^ p^,; ^^^
Carolina, \ ^
TFoodbridge^Newjer. ^ g^^^^j ^^^ ^^52
Newbcrn, ^orthca- ^ ^^^^^ j^^^. 3^755
roLina, 3
Portsmouth, A^'^" ? Daniel Fowle, 1756
hampsnire, )
Savannah, Georgia, James Johnson, 1762
Other Colonies and Islands*
1
rown, and ^
Quebec, Canada, { Gilmore, V 1764
r Bartholomew Green,
Halifax, Novascotia, < tlie younger, J- 1751
f John Bushell,
C William Brown,
( paitners,
Kingston, Jamaica, about 1725
Bi'idgetown, Barba- ^ David HaiTy, 1730
does, ( Samuel Keimer, 1731
Bassaterre, St. Chris- ? ^^^^^^ ^ ^747
topher, )
St. John, Jntigua, Benjamirt Mecom, 1752
Boseau, Dominica, William Smith, 1765
St. Georgestown, ) ^.j^^^ Wayland, 1765
Jjommica, 3
IN EUROPE, &C. 151
The city of Venice was greatly celebrated for
near a century, on account of the elegance ai:id cor-
rectness of the printing performed there. Aldo
Manuzio, or Aldus Manutius, his son, and grand-
son, were three of the most ingenious and learned
printers of the age in which they lived. They are
not mentioned in the preceding list, because they
were not among the first who spread abroad the
knowledge of the art. They did not flourish till the
sixteenth century — ^but I am unwilling to pass by
such eminent professors of the art ; and, for that
reason, introduce them here.
Aldus Manutius, born at Bassano, in Italy, print-
ed at Venice, in 1513, the works of Plato, and ded-
icated them to pope Leo X ; the Greek types which
he made for this book were much superior to any
that had been cast before. He was the inventor of
that description of types called the cursive, or Italic,
The pope granted hi^i the exclusive privilege, for
fifteen years, of reprinting and publishing all the
Greek and Latin books which he had already print-
ed, or might afterwards print from types invented
or improved by himself. This privilege was se-
cured by a denunciation, of heavy penalties, and
the terrors of excommunication against all such as
should invade it. At the same time, it was recom-
mended to Aldus, or Aldo, to sell his books at a
reasonable price ; and the pope expressed his con-
fidence in the mtegrity and obedience of the printer.*
Manutius was an accomplished scholar ; and died
in 1516.
* Roscoe's Leo X. Vol. ii.
152 HISTORY 6T PRINTING
Paiilus Manutius, son of Aldus, succeeded his
father, at Venice, and it is said that he excelled him
in learning. He removed to Rome ; where pope
Pius IV, put him at the head of the apostolic press,
and committed the library of the Vatican to his care.
He died anno 1574.
Aldus Ma7iutiusy the son of Paulus, was esteem-
ed the greatest genius, and the most learned man of
his time. Pope Clement VIII, made him director
of the Vatican prmting house. The profits of that
establishment were but small ; and he was obliged
to accept the chair of the professor of rhetoric. Still
he was poor, and was obliged, as a mean of subsist-
ence, to sell the excellent library which had been
collected by his father, his uncle, and his great
uncle, with extraordinary care and expense. It
was reported that it contained 80,000 volumes. He
died at Rome in 1597.
These three great men were all celebrated as
authors, and eminent as translators.
Having given this account of these excellent
Venetian printers, I cannot forbear making some
mention of the highly renowned Stephana of Paris.
Henry Stephens, the first of these distinguished
men, was born in France, soon after the discovery
of printing, i. e. about 1465. He settled at Paris,
and there published a number of books in Latin,
printed with Roman letter, which -svas well made
for that period. He died about the year 1520 ; and
left three sons, Francis, Robert and Charles ; who
■were all printers, and two of them became very cel-
ebrated authors. The widow of Henry married
Simon dc Colines ; and she put him in possession
IN EUROPE, &e, 153
of Stephens's printing house -, of which he remain-
ed master till he died.
Robert Stephens^ the second son, was born in
1503. He made so great proficiency in the Latin,
Greek and Hebrew languages, that at the age of
nineteen, his father in law, De Colines, intrusted
him with the management of his press. He mar-
ried Perette, the daughter of Jodocus Badius, who
was a printer, and an author. She was a learned
woman, and well acquainted with Latin. In 1539,
Francis I, made him his printer, and ordered a new
set of elegant types to be founded for him. Robert
published several editions of the New Testament ;
the annotations to which gave great offence to the
doctors of the Sorbonne ; who became so trouble-
some to him, that, notwithstanding he was patronis-
ed by thQ French king, Henry H, he abandoned his
country, and went to Geneva. It was he who first
divided the New Testament into verses, during a
journey between Paris and Lyons. The advantages
of this alteration, are fully counterbalanced, say the
editors of the Encyclopedia, by its defects ;■ — " it has
destroyed the unity of the books, and induced many
commentators to consider every verse as a distinct
and independent aphorism ; and, to this, in a great
measure, is to be ascribed the many absurd inter-
pretations tliat have been forced out of that book."
But Robert Stephens arrived at an honor, the like of
which no printer, or learned man beside himself, ever
attained ; for he made a collection of manuscripts
of the New Testament, and from all those whicli
he collated, he formed the Greek text of the New"
Testament which is nov/ in use among us ; angl
1 u
154 HISTORY OF PRINTING
from which our present translation was made. The
learned dr. Richard Bentley speaks of this perform-
ance in these terms. — " The present text," of the
New Testament, " was first settled almost two hun-
dred [now near three hundred] years ago, out of
several MSS. by Robert Stephens, a printer and
bookseller at Paris ; whose beautiful, and, gener-
ally speaking, accurate edition, has been ever since
counted the standard, and followed by all the rest,"*
The books of which he was the author, editor
and publisher, were said to amount to three hun-
dred and sixty. Among them was a Greek Testa-
ment, with the Latin translations of Erasmus aiid
Veteris on each side, which formed tliree columns
on a page. There is nothing very remarkable in
die Latin, but the Greek types were as elegant and
as well executed, as any that were ever used in a
press. The paper for that work was also remarka-
bly fine ; perhaps, superior to any which is now
made. Robert, like his father, left three sons, who
were all printers.
r have a copy of Cicero's Orations, printed by
this R. Stephens, from the cursive type, in 1544,
which has in the title page the device, or mark,
which he put to all his books, of " a branched fruit
tree," under which is a man looking and pointing up
to it. Some of the smaller branches are represent-
ed as having been cut, and are falling to the ground.
On a label displayed from a lower branch of the
tree, iu-e these words — Noli Altum Sapere.
* Bentley's Remarks, p. 68.
IN EUROPE, &e. ISS
CharleSi the third son of Henry, was a printer,
a physician, and an author. He wrote thirty trea-
tises on various subjects ; particularly, on botany,
anatomy and history. His printing was distin-
guished by the neatness and elegance of it. He
lived in Paris, and died anno 1564.
Robert, the grandson of Henry, remained in
Paris, where he was printer to the king. His types
were uncommonly handsome. He died about 1589 ;
and was succeeded by Francis, his brother, who
had been a printer in Geneva.
Henry, the third son of Robert, was bom at
Paris in 1528. He was a printer and an astrono-
mer ; and, was the most learned, and the most re-
nowned, of all the family. He travelled to Rome,
Naples, &c. in the service of the French govern-
ment. He wrote and printed the Thesaurus Lin-
gua Graces ; which, considering the wretched ma-
terials that more ancient dictionaries furnished, and
the size and perfection whereto he brought his
work, may be considered as the greatest undertak-
ing of the kind that ever was executed by one man.
It was carried on at a greater expense than he could
support ; and he W2is not remunerated by the sale
of the book. His own servant, Jolin Scapula, ex-
tracted from his manuscripts whatever he thought
would be serviceable to students, and anticipated
the publication of Stephens's work. By this act of
treachery Henry Stephens was reduced to poverty.
He was in favor with his sovereign, Henry HI, of
France ; and frequently resided at court. The civil
war prevented the king from doing what he intend-
ed for Stephens ; and, in consequence of his dis-
156 HISTORY OF PRINTING
tressed situation, his mind became unsetded — ^hc
imbibed a distaste for books — again travelled ; and,
died at Lyons in 1598, aged 70. It is said of him
that he composed and even ^\Tote poetry on horse-
back, during his travels. His works were nume-
rous, and some of them elaborate — his publications
of other authors were manifold ; a great proportion
of them were Greek, some Latin, and a few in
tlie oriental languages. He printed most of the
Greek classics, which were remai'kably correct.
Paul, the son of the last mentioned Henry Ste-
phens, and gi-eat grandson of the first, settled at
Gene\'a. He, also, was a man of learning ; trans-
lated several books ; and, published a number of
the ancient classics. His editions were not equal
to those of his father, in point of elegance. He sold
his types to one Chowet, a printer, and soon after
died, in 1620, aged 60.
Anthony Stephens, the last printer of the family,
the son of Paul, and great great grandson of the first
Henry, was born in Geneva. He apostatised from
the protestaiit religion, went to France, the country
of his ancestors, and became printer to the king ;
but, as he mismanaged his affairs, he was reduced
to poverty, retired to an hospital, became blind,
and died in miserable circumstances, anno 1674,
aged 80.
There are no certain records to ascertain the pe-
riods at which the art of Printing was introduced
into Scotland and Ireland. The eai'liest book from
the press in Scotland that has been discovered, is a
Bre^'iary of the Church at Aberdeen, printed at
IN EUROPE, &C. 157
Edinburgh in 1509, thirty six years after the estab-
lishment of the press at Westminster by Caxton.
The first printers known in Scotland, Ireland, and
even in London, were from Germany.
Printing was introduced into Russia, anno 1560 ;
it was early practised in Spanish America, as well
as at Goa, Manilla ; on the coast of Coromandel, at
Tranquebar,* and in the cold regions of Iceland.
Dr. Van Troil, in his Letters on Iceland, mentions,
that a press was established at Hoolum, or Hola, in
the north part of the island in 1530 ; and, the Icelandic
Bible printed there in 1584. Mr. Bryant, also, writes
that it was early practised there ; he observes, that
" Arngrim Jones was bom amidst the snows of Ice-
land ; yet, as much prejudiced in favor gf his coun-
try, as those who ai e natives of a happier climate ;
this is visible in his Crymog£ca^ but more particu-
larly in his Anatome Blefkmiana. I have in my
possession that curious little treatise, written in
Latin, in his own country, and printed Typis Ho-
lensibus in Islandid Boreali, anno 1612. Hola is
placed in some maps Avithin the arctic circle, and is,,
certainly, not faj* removed from it. I believe the
aits and sciences have never travelled farther north
in any part of die world. "f
* A book, entitled, « Novum Testamentum Malebaricum>.
a Ziigenhalg & Grundler," in quarto, printed at Tranquebar,
in 1619, is now in the library of Harvard college.
t Observations and Inquiries relating to various Parts of
ancient History. Published in 1767 ; p. 277. The first book
printed at Hoolum, was the Breviarium Nidarosiense. Ma-
tliieson, the pi'inter, was from Sweden.
158 HISTORY OF PRINTTING
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS,
On Printers and Printing.
AFTER Printing was introduced into the Eu-
ropean world, the scribes used their utmost endeav-
ors to excel, in order to preserve their stations in
society ; but they were soon obliged to give way
to the press, as the works performed by it were sold
much cheaper than those of the scribes could possi-
bly be afforded.
In the eai'ly stages of Printing, the name of the
printer, his place of residence, and the date of the
performance, were put at the end of each book r
and, generally, accompanied by some pious ejacula-
tion, or doxology, in prose or verse.*
• In the edition of " The Pragmatic Sanction," printed by
Andrew Bocard at Paris, 1507, the following curious corpl^t
is to be found.
" Stat, liber, hie donee fluctus formica marinos
Exhibat ; et totum tcstudo pcrambulet orbem."
IMITATED.
May this volume continue in motion.
And its pages each day be unfurl'd,
'Till an ant to the dregs drinks the ocean,
Or a tortoise has crawl'd round the world.
[See Appendix, for ancient colophons, &c. j
IN EUROPE. 159
Ancient printers did not divide words at the end
of lines by hyphens. In order to avoid that, they
used to " get in," according to the technical phrase ;
or, to speak more intelligibly, they made use of
vowels with a mark of abbreviation, which denoted
that one or more letters were omitted in the syllable
where it was placed ; e. g. copose, compose ; cople-
tio, completion, &c. The great number and vari-
ety of abbreviations that were introduced in the
course of time, at length created no trifling obsta-
cles for the reader to overcome.
For many years the printing done in England
was inferior to that executed on the neighboring
contment* After the art was generally practised
throughout Europe, it greatly degenerated. Res-
pecting England, John Nichols, an experienced
printer of London, observes, that " Caxton and
Rood were indifferently good printers. De Worde
and Pynson were worse, and those that followed
^em, most abominable."
In punctuation, no points were used except
the colon and full point ; but, after some time, an
oMique stroke thus / was introduced, in the place
of which the comma was afterward substituted.
The orthography of those times was various,
often arbitrary ; and, syntax was disregarded. Cap-
itals were not used according to our present rules.
Proper .names and sentences, were often begun
with small letters, as well as the beginning of lines
in poetr}^
Except some of the first essays of Laurentius,
most printed books were of the folio or quaito sizes ;
160 HISTORY OF PRINTIl^G
aiid tifiis practice continued a long time after the ait
was introduced into England.
The first essay at printing Greek was made by-
Fust and SchoefFer, in Tully's Offices, anno 1465.
They used only a few characters, and those were
very rude, ■ Some were made and introduced into
Lactantius's Institutes, printed the same year at a
monastery in the kingdom of Naples, which were
much better executed than those of Fust and Schoef-
fer. The Italian printers made use of very decent
Greek types about the year 1470 ; and they were
brought to a high degree of perfection by the Ste-
phani in Paris, before the yeai' 1540,
About the year 1465, types of a kind of semi-
Gothic character, far more elegant than the old Ger-
man, or the tlBClk0 used at the present time, were
introduced at Venice. They, in shape, approached
neai' to the Roman types, which, in less than two
years after, were invented and used at Rome.
The Roman type, which is now, and for nearly
two centuries has » been, in general use in Italy,
France, England, Spain, Portugal, and America,
made its first appearance in the capital of his holi-
ness the pope, in an edition of Cicero's Epistolae
Familiares, printed by the brothers Sweynheim and
Arnold Pannaitz, in 1466. This type was improv-
ed in Italy, and brought to nearly its present degree
of perfection, as eaily as the yeai" 1490.
The Italic character, anciently called by some -
aursive^ and by others Aldine, was invented by AldO:
Manuzio, at Venice, about the year 1505,
Printing with Hebrew characters, appears to"
have been first performed at Soncino, in the clutchy
IN EUROPE. 161
of Milan, anno 1482, and at Naples anno 1487.
The first works printed with them were, the Penta-
teuch in 1482. The greater prophets, Joshua,
Judges, and Samuel, in 1484. The lesser proph-
ets in 1486. The Hagiographa in 1487. The
three first printed at Soncino, the last at Naples.*
The whole text of the Hebrew scriptures, was
printed in one volume folio, in 1488, at Soncino, by
Abraham Ben Rabbi Hhajim.
Stereotype Printing.
The method of printing, at this time, is, gen-
erally, the same as it was formerly ; for although
some improvements have been made, very few of
them have been brought into common practice ;
and, with such as have been introduced, it is certain
that modem printing does not much exceed that
degree of perfection to which the ail arrived about
forty years after it was discovered in Europe.
As I have mentioned in another place, it was
the principal aim of those who first practised print-
ing, to imitate, as nearly as possible, the beautiful
script, or writing, of the scribes ; and, their object
* This edition is said by Dr. Pellet, who presented a copy
©f it to Eton College library, in England, to contain many cu-
rious readings different from all other printed copies, and con-
Iriry to the Masora. It is mentioned, I believe, by Dr. Ken-
nicott, that this edition, excepting a few copies which happened
to be save(ei was destroyed. Dr. Pellet says, Hoc exem/ilgr
vnicum, ftjlammis, ereptum, udjiar est credore.
1 W
162 HISTORY OF PRINTING
was not fame, but profit. The most valuable man*
uscript books commanded a highf price ; and the
inventors of Printing kept the art secret, in order to
obtain as much for their printed copies, as was paid
for those ^\Hhich were written.
They might have ai\other reason for secrecy j
for eveiy one must have observed, that if an inven-
tion is calculated to lessen labor and diminish the
number of laborers in any branch of art, paiticularly
in Europe, such inventions, frequently, give rise to
mobs and tumults, and put to hazard the lives of
the inventors ; and, as the scribes were a very nu-
merous body, the lives and property of those who
had invented a method to destroy their business,
might have been endangered ; therefore, it was most
prudent to conceal the discovery. A press was
more than otice set up at Constantinople, but the
scribes, it is said, had influence enough to suppress
it ; and, I am told, it was not till about the year 1784,
that Printing could be effectually introduced there.
From the necessity the printers were under,
both upon principles of interest and safety, to imi-
tate the neatness of tlie ancient scribes, we can ac-
count for the beauty of the earliest printed books.
This is, also, a sufficient reason why the discovery
of the art in Europe, is involved in so much obscu-
rity ; and, why so much difficulty has been experi-
enced in the attempts which have been made to as-
certain who were the first inventors of Prmting, and
the place where the discovery was first made. After,
printing became generally knowii, and Europe was
furnished with a sufficient number of workmen,
books were multiplied in so great a degree that
IN EUROPE. 163
purchasers of them at the high prices they were then
sold for, could not be found. In order to promote
the sale, cheap editions were made of inferior mate-
rials, and by inferior workmen ; and, in this way,
we can readily conceive that the art of Printing de-
generated.
It may appear strange, that after the art had
been brought, as it were, to perfection, the profess-
ors of it should again revert to first principles, and
consider the original plan as an improvement on
modern practice ; yet, this appeal's to have been the
case, in respect to those who have introduced stere-
otype printing; or, the method of printing from
metal blocks, instead of moveable types. By those
who are not better informed, this mode of book-
making is considered as a modern invention. The
friends of the celebrated Didot, in Paris, have as-
cribed it to him ; others have given i,t to British
^tists of the present day. The truth is, that it is
more than a century since printing from metal plates,
or blocks, was practised in Holland. This will ap-
pear by the following extract from a work printed
in 1798.*
" About a hundred years ago, tlie Dutch were
in possession of the art of printing with solid or
fixed types, which, in every respect, was suj^erior
to that of Didot's stereotype. It may, however, be
readily comprehended, that these letters were not
cut in so elegant a manner, especially when we re-
* " Bitto aismien ^om tn letter l&otje," 1798. N. 932.
Vide Philosophical Mag. Edited by Alexander Tilloch, esq.
Vol. X, published in London.
164 HISTORY OF PRINTING
fleet on the progress which t3^ography has made
since that period. Samuel and J. Leuchtman, book-
sellers at Leyden, have stilL in their possession the
forms of a quarto Bible, which were constructed in
this ingenious manner. Many thousand impress-
ions were thrown off, which are in every body's
hands, and the letters are still good. The inventor
of this useful art was J. Van der Mey, father of the
well known painter of that name. About the end
of the sixteenth century, he resided at Leyden.
With the assistance of MiUler, the clergyman of the
German congregation there, who carefully superin-
tended the correction, he prepared and cast the
plates for the above mentioned quarto Bible. This
Bible he published also in folio, with large margins,
ornamented with figures, the forms of which are
still in the hands of Elwe, bookseller at Amsterdam ;
also, an English New Testament, and Schaaf 's Syr-
iac dictionary, the forms of which were melted
down ; and, likewise, a small Greek Testament in
18mo. As far as is known, Van der Mey printed
nothing else in this manner ; and the art of prepar-
ing solid blocks was lost at his death ; or, at least,
was not afterwards employed."
The next person who printed in this way, was
William Ged, an ingenious goldsmith in Edin-
burgh. He began to prosecute this business about
the year 1725. His method was, to set up common
types into pages of the work intended to be printed ;
and, from those pages to form moulds to cast the
blocks; which, when cast, ^verc fitted for the press.
He removed from Edinburgh to London, and form-
ed a partnership with Thomas lames, then the most
IN EUROPE. 165
celebfated, if not the only type founder in that city ;
and, with William Fenner, a stationer, who was to
furnish money, on condition that he should receive
one half of the profits. In 1730, these partners ap-
plied to the university of Cambridge, England, for
tlie privilege of printing Bibles and Prayer Books,
in this way ; and obtained it. They expended large-
sums of money in attempts to bring their plan to per-
fection. They completed tlie Prayer Book in 8vo.*
and in 12mo. and had the larger part of the Bible pre-
pared on blocks, when they relinquished the under-
taking. It seems that one of the partners became
hostile to the plan, and, in connivance with the work-
men, contrived to have the work executed very er-
roneously ; and, the pressmen designedly battered
the forms. The books, in consequence, were sup-
pressed by authority, and the plates were sent to the
king's printing house, and from thence to the found-
ery, where they w^ere melted down. Ged returned
to Edinburgh, much disappointed, where he printed
and published in 1736, by a subscription from his
friends, an edition of Sallust from cast plates. He,
afterward, manufactured plates for Scougal's " Life
of God in the Soul of Man," which was printed in
12mo. on a writing pot, with this imprint, " New-
castle : Printed and sold by Jolin White, from plates
made by William Ged, Goldsmith in Edinburgh,
1742." He died in 1749. His son, who was bred
a printer, published, in 1751, proposals for renewing
tlie stereotype printing ; but, not meeting with suc-
cess, he went to Jamaica, and died there.
The ingenious and learned Alexander Tilloch,
of Glasgow, when he resided in tliat city about
166 HISTORY OF PRINTING
thirty years since, is said to have made a second (Hs-
covery of the art of stereotype printing ; and, de-
clared himself ignorant of its having been previ-
ously practised, or even attempted. Until he had
nearly completed the invention, he believed it was
entirely his own, when he discovered, that, fifty
years before, Ged had printed several works from
stereotype plates ; and, he further ascertdned that,
near fifty years before Ged, stereotype printing
had been practised by Vander Mey, in Holland.
" A knowledge of these facts," says Tilloch, in a
treatise he wrote on the subject, " lessened the value
of the discovery so much in my estimatioii, that I
felt but little anxiety to be known as a second
inventor." He, however, pursued the business.
Foulis, printer to the university of Glasgow, assisted
him. They printed two or three small works from
the plates which they made ; and, sold the editions
to the trade, without any intimation of tlieir being
executed out of the common way. They then took
out patents for stereotype printing in England and
Scotland ; and, in 1783, they printed Xenophon's
Anabasis, in Greek, in tliat way. They nearly
completed the plates for several of the English po-
ets ; but, that work was delayed by circumstances
which induced them to set the business 'aside, and
it never was resumed.
Some years after this, Didot, a very celebrated
printer at Paris, revived this art of founding pages ;
and applied it, in the first instance, to logarithmic
tables, for which it is well adapted. He then pro-
ceeded to print some of the classics, and other
IW lUROPE. 167
works, all of which do him much credit ; being ex-
ecuted with great neatness and accuracy.
About the same time, lord Stanhope, a British
nobleman, having received from Tilloch some in-
formation respecting the method of casting plates
for letter press, undertook to revive, perfect and
establish stereotype printing in England. After
two years of application, with the aid of Foulis of
Glasgow, who had assisted Tilloch, and Wilson, an
ingenious printer in London, his lordship succeed-
ed, not only in casting plates with fapility ; but,
also, in the construction of a press more suitable for
stereotype printing than that now in common use.
Stereotyping, as it is termed, is now adopted by
many printers in Europe, for standard books which
command an extensive sale ; and which are not
subject to alteration or amendment. The principal
object accomplished by this innovation, is a saving
in case work; but, no advantage of any conse-
quence can be made in books printed with letter of
larger size tlian long primer. The benefit is de-
rived from heavy works, printed from bodies of
bourgeois, brevier, and pearl. Lai'ge editions of the
Old and New Testament, and other books, in vari-
ous languages, have been printed, in Europe, by
this method, for the several societies for propagating
the gospel in the Eastindies, and other countries.
Part of a large edition of Morell's abridgment of
Ainsworth's Latin Dictionary, was lately published
in London from stereotype plates.
168 HISTORY OF PRINTING
Logographic Printings
A MODE of printing with types of words, instead
of single letters, was sometime since introduced in
England, and much was said about " the logo-
graphic press." This novelty, as is usual with new
things, attracted much custom for logographic pub-
lications ; but it soon ceased, and we heard no more
of logographic typography. It was set aside ; for,
like casting Chinese characters, to print the lan-
guage of that country, it would answer no valuable
purpose. I eagerly cast my eyes on a book, an-
nounced by the title page to be printed in London,
*' logographically ;" I had not read twenty lines be-
fore I saw an inverted letter, and, further on, a trans-
position of letters. A little further still, I found a
word divided with a space ; and, notwithstanding
the declaration in the title page, I was soon con-
vinced that single types were generally used in the
work.
Engraving Machine*
AMACHiNEto multiply copies of manuscripts,
or books of common size, was invented, in 1781,
by the ingenious M. Rochon, afterwards director
of the marine observatory at the port of Brest. This
IN EUROPE. 169
machine engraves, with great celerity and correct-
ness, the pages of a book, or manuscript, on as many
plates of copper.* The machine was submitted to
the inspection of a committee of the royal academy
of sciences ; which committee made the following
report respecting its utility, viz.
" This machine appears to us to unite several
advantages, 1. Engraved editions of books may be
executed by this means superior to those which can
be made by the hand of the engraver, however skil-
ful ; and these engraved originals will be made with
much more speed, and much less expense. 2. As
this machine is portable, and of no considerable
bulk, it may become very useful in armies, fleets
and public offices, for the impression of orders,
instructions, &c. 3. It possesses the advantage
which, in a variety of circumstances, is highly valu-
able, of being capable of being used by any man of
intelligence and skill, without requiring the assist-
ance of any professional workman. And, lastly, it
affords the facility of waiting for the entire compo-
sition and engravings of a work, before any of the
copies are printed off; the expense of plates, even
for a work of considerable magnitude, being an ob-
ject of little charge ; and the liberty it affords to
authors, may prove highly beneficial in works of
which the chief merit consists in the order, method
and connexion of ideas."
* The manner of the construction arid operation of this en-
graving machine, may be seen in the third volume of the sup-
plement to the Encyclopedia, published several years since at
Philadelphia, page 425.
1 X
170 HISTORY OF PRINTING
" Many well infonned persons ai*e of oi>inion,
that the perfect equality which this machine for en-
gi'aving affords, in the formation of letters and signs
the most difficult to be imitated, might be the means
of remedying the dangers of forgery. It is certain,
that the performance exhibits a simple and striking
character of precision, which is such, that persons
of the least experience might flatter themselves, in
certain cases, to distinguish counterfeits from orig-
inals. Lavoisier, whom the friends of science, and
of the arts, will not cease to regret, made some ex-
periments of this kind for the Caisse d'Escompte,
which were attended with perfect success. Artists,
appointed for the purpose, endeavored in vain to
imitate a vignette, formed by the successive and
equal motion of a character of ornament."
Ancient Engraving.
Ne a r l y all the treatises which have been wrii-
ten. concerning engraving, speak of it as an ai't
which is of modern invention ; and the authors of
them have considered Maso Finiguerra of Florence, •
as the father of this branch of designing. But I
have already shewn, on the authority of scripture,
and from other monuments of antiquity, tliat the
art of engraving was known in very remote ages ;
and abundance of other testimony might be ad-
IN EUROPE. 171
ded, to what has already been produced, on this
subject.
Man is an imitative creature. According to
Strabo, it was Homer's sublime descriptions of the
gods which awakened the conceptions of the emi-
nent statuaries among the Greeks, and led them to
attempt the expression of his ideas in mai*ble.
Hence was derived that noble performance, the Ju-
piter of Phidias. This opinion may be earned much
farther back ; and we may, on reasonable ground,
conclude that men, in the eai'liest ages of the world,
made sensible representations of the objects of their
meditation, in various ways, and on different sub-
stances. From tliis desire of imitating the figures
of animated nature, that of man in particular, we
may conclude arose the hieroglyphics, formerly
used, which were some of the most ancient repre-
sentations of things produced by the indefatigable
ingenuity of man. Recundier, in his descriptions
of Egyptian antiquities, gives an account of hiero-
glyphics, seen by members of the French national
institute, which they supposed were several thous-
and years old. Engraving, carving, statuary, and,
we may presume, painting, and the various meth-
ods of designing, were kno^^ai when the Israelite^
were in Egypt ; as they are forbidden, in tlie dec-
alogue, to make any graven image, or other rep-
resentations of tilings, which were used by ancient
nations, in their religious ceremonies — that engrav-
ing was practised by the children of Israel, has al-
already been proved, by passages from the writings
of Moses.
172 HISTORY OF PRINTING
Numerous are the authors who inform us, that
among the Greeks, engraving is of great antiquity.
In proof of this fact, many examples might be given,
beside the instances already alluded to. The most
curious monument of antiquity now extant is the ap-
otheosis of Homer ; a work of Archelaus of Priene,
said to be iiow in the palace of Colonna. This en-
graving is, like to the description given of the shield
of Achilles, in various compartments. In one of them
is Homer, in a chair, attended by various emblemat-
ical representations ; ajid behind him is Time, and
a female figure representing the World, crowning
him with laurel. Beneath this compartment is the
following inscription — OIKOTMENH XPONOS lAIAS
OAYSSEIA 0MEP02. A group is seen advancing to
sacrifice on an altar, which is before him ; and,
beneath those figures, are descriptions of them in
Greek capitals — I2TOPIA nOIHESIS TPArxiAIA
KflMXlIAIA ^^TSIL APETH MNHME niSTIE 20$IA.
In another part of this performance is an inscription
engraved, also in Greek capitals, stating that it was
the work of Archelaus Pollonius of Priene. A very
ancient bust of Homer is in the Farnese palace at
Rome, with his name engraved on it, in Greek cap-
itals. Of ancient Grecian engravings,, in metal, I
shall have occasion to speak hereafter.
That the Romans possessed the art of engraving
in stone, and metal, is a fact we are well acquainted
with. The Roman monuments which attest this
truth, ai-e as numerous as those of the Greeks. We
may presume that engi'aving ^vas practised in Rome
as early as the time of Numa, from the circumstance
of the making of the Ancylia, by Veturius Ma-
IN EUROPE. 173
murius.* Numa presented aii extremely curious
shield to thfe Romans, which he pretended to have
received from the god Mars, as a palladium of the
city ; and in order to prevent its being stolen, a
reward was offered to any one who could make so
exact an imitation of it, as would deceive any person
who might be disposed to carry it off, as Ulysses
did the palladium from Troy. Mamurius succeed-
ed in making eleven others, so exactly like it, that
the true ancyle could not be distinguished from the
copies, t
Historians have, also, related that the twelve
tables of the Roman decemvirs Vere engraved on
brass ; but some of them have mentioned that the
decemvirs sent their ambassadors to Greece, to col-
lect the laws recorded on the tables in question—
allatas a Gracia leges. — It may, therefore, be con-
tended, that those tables were engraved at Athens.
But this circumstance would not invalidate the fact
I wish to establish, namely, that engraving in metal
was practised in the time of the Roman decemvirs.
It may be further objected, that though Heinnec-
ciusf maintains that the twelve tables were of aereas,
brass, yet in the text of Pomponius we read eboreasy
ivory ; for which Scaliger has substituted roboreas,
* Virgil carries the practice of engraving shields, higher
than the time of which we are treating. Speaking of one of
the kings who fought against Eneas, he says,
Clypeoque insigni paternum
Centum angues, cinctamc^ue gcrit serpentibus hydram.
t Plutarch, in Vit. Numa. | Hist. J. R. c. 1 . No. 26.
174 HISTORY OF PRINTING
oak, or other hard wood.* To this it may be an-
swered, that modern verbal criticisms camiot invali-
date the evidence for the existence of engraving, in
ancient Rome, because Suetoniusf relates that three
thousand brass plates, on which were engraven the
acts of the Roman senate and i^eople, had been de-
posited in the capitol. As to the twelve tables hav-
ing been engraved at Athens, there is much reason
to doubt that the Roman decemvirs ever sent mes-
sengers there ; for Josephus,| in speaking of a later
period, observes, " The city of Rome, that hath this
long time been possessed of so much power, and
hath performed such great actions in war, is yet
never mentioned by Herodotus, nor by Thucydides,
nor by any of their contemporaries ; and it is very
late, and with great difficulty, that die Romans be-
came acquainted with the Greeks." Plutarch, § also,
in giving an account of the irruption of the Galli
Senones, or Gauls, into Italy, says, " Heraclides of
Pontus, who lived not long after those times, in his
treatise concerning the souly relates that an army from
the country of the Hyperboreans, had taken a Greek
city, called Rome, situated somewhere near tlie great
sea." It is true, we are told, tliat before the pe-
riod of which we are now speaking, the Romans
had contended with Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, who,
they thought, was king of all Greece; but they
hardly seem to have known where his country was
* Bynkershoek, p. 286. t In Vespasian, c. 8.
\ Contra Apion. Vol. 6, p. 208. Worcester edition of
Whiston's translation.
§ In vit. Camil.
i
IN EUROPE. 175
situated. He invaded the Roman territory as the
ally of the Grecian colony of Tarentum ; and when
he was beaten out of Italy, the Romans did not ap-
pear to know where he was gone — In Grceciam
suam trans mare ac terras fugato.*
I might write a volume concerning ancient en-
gravings in wood, bricks, marble, gems, and a
variety of materials, beside metals ; but that is un-
necessary ; because I can mention proofs of the
antiquity of engraving, which are under almost
every man's observation—^I mean in the articles of
medals and coins.
We have not any certain data to determine the
first invention of medals or coins ; they were known
in ancient times among the nations of Asia. But it
does not appear they were in use among the He-
brews before the time of their kings. When Abra-
ham paid for the cave of Machpelah he weighed to
Ephron the silver^ which he had named in the audi-
ence of the sons of Heth^ four hundred shekels of
siher, current money with the merchant.\ Here it
must be observed, that the word money is not found
in the Hebrew ; nor is the word pieces, used Gen.
xxxvii. 28, in the original. It is probable that in
the first of these texts siher should have been in-
serted ; and, shekels in the other ; — for as money
was weighed by the shekel in those days, it is likely
the Ishmaelites who bought Joseph, paid his breth-
ren twenty shekels of silver for him. From Gen.
xliii. 21, we find that the sons of Jacob paid for their
corn, in Eg}'pt, in money by weight. When the
* Florus, lib. 1, cap. 18. t Gen. xxiii. 16.
176 , HISTORY OF PRINTING
Israelites left Egypt they borrowed of the Egyp-
tians jewels of silver and jewels of gold;~had
coined money been in use, they would, probably,
have borrowed that also. The same argument will
apply to the subscriptions, or offerings ; for the
tabernacle, where M^e find both men and women
brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tab-
lets, all jewels of gold. Had coined moriey been
current among them, it is likely they would have
presented that, and saved their more costly jewels.
With earrings Aaron made the golden calf, or sym-
bol of the Egyptian god Apis, or Serapis — And he
received them at their hand, and fashioneI) it
WITH A GRAVING TOOL, after hf had made it a
molten calf\ Coins must have been introduced
among the Israelites after these times.
It has been pretended that money was first coin-
ed by Phidon, king of Argos, about the year A. C.
870 ; but it is certain that money was known in
much earlier times. The Greeks excelled all na-
tions in the beauty and delicacy of their coins.
They had the skill of expressing the veins and mus-
cles with such exquisite art, as the Romans never
could imitate. Many Greek coins are extant which
are older than the time of Alexander ; and there are
Sicilian coins more ancient than those of the Greeks
of Attica.
There are extant- two medals of Homer, by
Amastris ; also one struck at Smyrna, and another
* Exodus XXXV. 22. The tablets, here mentioned, it is
presumed were medals, or other engraved articles, but not
current coin.
t Exod. xxxii, 4.
I
IN EUROPE, 177
at Chios. The Chian medal appears to be the most
ancient. It represents the great poet as sitting, with
a book in his hand ; and the exergue has the repre-
sentation of a centaur. The letters on it denote a
very early period of the Grecian literature, and read
from right to left. We have no types which Avould
justly describe them. Over the figure of Homer is
OOdHItO, and over the centaur NUIX, reversed. The
other medals are well expressed ; but the shape of
the M differs from that used in later periods, and c
occupies the place of X.
Money was generally stamped, by the ancients,
with figures engraved in steel, or hardened copper ;
and where engraving was unknown, money could
not be coined. This coined money is by Strabo
called pecunia signata^ to distinguish it from articles
exchanged by weight. According to Pliny,* Ser-
vius Tullius first stamped brass coins among the
Romans.-— iSerrfw^ rex ovium boumque effigie pri-
mus as signavit. These oxen, swine, Sqc. could not
have been formed without the art of the engraver.
The same author says, that silver was coined in
Rome, A. U. C. 484 ; five years preceding the first
Punic war. The uses sextentario pondere Jerieban-
tuVy which the Romans coined when Hannibal was
in Italy, were marked with a Janus on one side, and
the beak, or stern, of a sliip on the other. In the
cabinets of antiquities, in Europe, are almost innu-
merable ancient coins, and medals, of the Roman
emperors ; as well as of eminent men, in various
other nations These are so many independent and
* xxxviii. 8.
1 y
178 HISTORY OF PRINTING
infallible testimonies of the existence of engrav-
ing in the times that are past, and many of them ev-
idence that it was practised long before the Christian
era. The earliest Roman coins were stamped with
the pecusy whence came the term peciinia. Some of
their brass coins were stamped with a boat ; the sil-
ver denarii had the figures of waggons with two, or
four horses ; and on the reverse the head of Rome
with a helmet. The victoriati, had the image of
victory ; the sestertii^ had the images of victory, and
of Castor and Pollux, with the city on the reverse.
The heads of the Roman emperors were engraved
on their coins, with their names and titles, round
them, in a similar manner to that in which coins are
now executed. Nothing can be more evident, there-
fore, than that the art of engraving, in metal, was
knoAvn among the Romans ; for, without that art^
they never could have made their stamps to fix the
impressions on their coins.*
Those who never had an opportunity to examine
the accounts which are given of the more ancient
Greek and Roman coins, may find evidence in st.
Luke, sufficient to convince every Christian, of the
truth, that Roman coins were well known when
Christ was on earth. It is cleai*ly asserted, that the
Roman denarius bore the image and superscription
of Cesar-— /7^/20,s(? image and superscription hath it?\
* For the most valuable part of the above observations on
ancient coins and engravings, I am indebted to my friend, Mr.
William Sheldon. Those who are desirous to see more on
these subjects, may consult Pinkerton on medals, &c.
t Lvike XX. 24.
m
IN EUROPE. 179
The making the letters round those images of the em-
perors, and stamping them on the metal, were pro-
cesses that embraced the rudiments of printing ; and
render the opinion of Ihre, that Ulphilas's version of
the scriptures was impressed with hot metal types,
some^vhat the less improbable.
From the reseaixhes of the English Asiatic So-
ciety, we have full and unequivocal evidence, that
the art of engraving on copper and brass, was known
in Hindostan, and other parts of Asia, in very remote
periods of time. The Asiatic Researches contain
some curious specimens ; among which is an ac-
count of a royal grant of land, engraved on a copper
plate, bearing date twenty three years before the
Christian era, that is, eighteen hiuidred and thirty
three years since. This plate was discovered among
the ruins of Mongueer, in India. A copy of the
grant was translated from the original Sanscrit, by
Charles Wilkins, esq. in the year 1781, and pub*
lished by sir William Jones.*
The rev. Claudius Buchanan, l. l. d. who was
sent from England, as a missionary, to the East
Indies, and w^ho, since his return, has published a
a celebrated sermon, entitled, " The Stai- in the
East ;" in the appendix to that performance, has
given an account of various engraved plates of mix-
ed metals, wliich were found among the Christians
of St. Thomas, at Malayala, Malabar ; the largest of
which contains an engraved page of thirteen by four
inches ; and the writing engraved on four of them
* See Asiatic Researches, printed at Calcutta, 1788, in six
volumes, quarto, with an engraving of the plate.
180 HISTORY OF PRINTING
makes eleven pages. The plate reputed to be the
oldest, contains characters resembling the Persic of
Persepolis, or the Babylonish letters. " On the
same plate there is writing in another character,
which has no affinity with any existing chai'acter in
Hindostan." The names of four ancient and emi-
nent Jews, who were witnesses to the guarantee of
the privileges which the engraving on the plates is
said to convey, appeal' written in very old Hebrew
characters. These Christian tablets of Malayala,
are a great curiosity, and, no doubt, may justly
claim a very high degree of antiquity. The Jews
at Cochin have two brass tables, similar to those of
the Malayalans ; and the palm of priority is disputed
by these people. The Jews have a Hebrew manu-
script, stating that they received a grant, which was
recorded on brass tablets, in A. D. 379. [^]
From the observations which have been made,
I presume it is sufficiently evident, that the branch
of designing, called engraving, may be considered
as an invention, the author of which is lost amidst
the darkness of remote antiquity ; and that the
knowledge of it has existed from time immemorial.
When v/riters speak of the discoveries of Finiguerra,
and his cotemporaries at Florence, therefore, they
cannot with propriety allude to any thing further,
tlian tlie method of taking impressions on paper,
From engravings ; which appears to have been near-
ly the extent of tlie improvements they introduced
into the ait. It must, however, be admitted, that
although the art of engraving was well known to
the ancients, and practised by them in a style nearly
approaching to perfection; yet, during the dark
IN EUROPE. 181
ages of Gothic barbarity aiid monkish superstition,
which obscured tlie Ught and glory of Europe,
much of the knowledge of the fine arts was lost ;
and, perhaps, the clouds of ignorance and obscurity
fell upon the business of the engraver ; so that, pos-
sibly, the Florentines had to explore the secrets of
the art among the rubbish of antiquity ; and, in the
course of their researches they accidentally display-
ed some new ideas, as was the case with Finiguerra.
The progress and discoveries of the modern
European engravers, I will proceed to state under
the head of
Modern Engravings on TVoody Copper^ ^c.
A BOOK published at Leipsic in 1771, without
the name of the author, and under the title of " Idee
generale d'unes Collection complette des Estampes ;
avec une Dissertation sur I'Origine de la Gravure,
et sur les premiers Livres d' Images," opposes, in
some measure, the opinions of the best writers on
the origin of Printing in Europe. The author's
attention was particularly directed to engraving, and
to an examination of wooden cuts in books of the
earliest dates, which led, of course, to an investiga-
tion of the printing of those books. This author
traces the origin of cutting on wood, as far back as
the year 1423, and he attributes it to aitists employ-
ed in making cards ; which artists, he says, pro-
ceeded from little pictures of saints, to small pieces
182 HISTORY OF PRINTING
of history ; intended for the instruction of youth,
and for purposes of devotion. This, he thinks,
gave the hint to Guttemburg, when he lived in
Strasburg-, of cutting single letters. Like several
German \\Titers, he is not willing to allow the claim
of Holland to the discovery of Printing ; or to ad-
mit Laurentius, alias Coster, to be either a printer,
eiigi-aver, or carver, and treats his pretensions to the
discovery as fictitious. But Meerman's investiga-
tions have settled this business, by producing full
afld ample testimony in favor of Laurentius.
The anonymous writer, of Leipsic, states, tliat
of all the modes of engraving for the press, the most
ancient is, that on wood ; or, to speak more techni-
cally, the first impressions on paper were taken from
carved wooden blocks. For this invention, he ob-
serves, we ai'c indebted to the llt0£f-inalCt0> or
makers of pla3dng cards, who pi'actised the ail in
Germany in the 15th century. From the same
source may, perhaps, be traced the first idea of
moveable types, which appeared not many years af-
ter ; for then breef malers did not entirely confine
themselves to the printing and painting of cards ;
but produced, also, subjects of a more devout na-
ture ; many of which, taken from holy writ, are
still preserved in the different libraries in Germany,
with the explanatory texts, facing the figures, the
whole engraved rudely in wood. In this manner
llicy even formed a species of books, such as His-
toria saricti Johannis ejusque visiones apocalyptic as ;
Ifistoria Veterls Nov'i Testameiitiy known by the
name of " The Poor Man's Bible." These short
mementos were printed only on one side, and two
IN EUROPE. 183
of them, being pasted together, had the appearance
of a single sh^et or leaf. The anonymous writer
then mentions, that the earliest date found on these
wooden cuts is 1423. The subject is, St, Christo-
pher ^ carrying the infant Jesus aver the sea, which
was preserved in a convent at Buxheim near Mem-
mengen ; and, that " it is of a folio size, illuminated
in the same manner as the playing cards ; and at the
bottom is this inscription, Christqferi, Jaciem die
quacunque tueris. Ilia nempe die morte mala non
morieris. Millesimo CCCC°XX° tertio.''*
Mr. Bullet, in his researches into the history of
Cards, printed at Lyons in 1757, supposes the in-
vention of them to have taken place between the
years 1367 and 1380 : Other authors make the
year 1367 to be the epocha of the discover}^ ; but,
do not allow that they were made from engraving,
or carving, of any kind. They contend that the
figures were painted upon thick paper ; and con-
tinued to be made by that method till after printing
was invented.
Upon the invention of moveable types, that
branch of the breef malers business, which was
connected with the making of that kind of books,
mentioned by the Leipsic author, was gradually dis-
continued ; but the art of engraving on wood, was
still practised and improved. Toward the end of
the 15th, or beginning of the 16th century, it be-
* Later writers have contradicted the statement of the
Leipsic author, so far as it respects the date, which, doubtless,
is erroneous. The error arises from the omission by design,
or accident of an L. The true date probably should stand thus :
« Millessimo CCCCLXXo tertio."
184 HISTORY OF PRINTING
came customary for almost every one of the Ger-
man engravers on copper, to engrave on wood also.
Among the Germans, the engravings of Albert Du-
rer, on wood, are justly held in the highest estima-
tion. Italy, France and Holland produced many
capital ailists in this line.
One Hugo de Carpi projected a scheme of cut-
ting in wood, by means of which the prints appeared
as if painted in chiaro scuro. In order to effect tliis,
he made three kinds of stamps for the same design ;
which were drawn after one another through the
press for the same print. They were so contrived
as that one served for the grand lights, a second for
the demi tints, and a third for the outlines and deep
shade.
The art of engraving in wood, was carried to
a high degree of perfection, in Europe, two hun-
dred years ago ; and, for beauty of design, might
vie with that of engraving on copper. It afterward
much degenerated ; and, for a long period, was
neglected. Some years since, it was revived, but
in a different style, to that which was practised at
an earlier period. The best cutting in wood is now
made to imitate, when impressed, the prints from
copperplates.
Blocks of wood are still used in Europe, for
cuts to be printed at letter press ; but in this coun-
try, piu"ticukuly in Newengland, type metal is sub-
stituted for wood.
It is believed that Schoeffer was the first, in Eu-
rope, wlio engraved on copper for the press ; but,
he Avent no further than to engrave matrices for the
faces of metal types, before he had discovered the
IN EUROPE*
185
art of cutting steel punches to impress them. The
modern art of taking impressions of pictures, &c.
from engravings, is said to have taken its rise not
much earlier than the middle of the 15th century.
One Maso Finiguerra, a goldsmith of Florence, has
the credit of the discovery of copperplate printing in
the year 1440 ; he had poured some melted brim-
stone on an engraved plate ; and, when the brim-
stone was cold, he found thereon the exact impres-
sion of the engraving, marked black with the mat-
ter taken out of the sti'okes, by the liquid sulphur.*
He then attempted to do the same with wet paper
on silver plates, by passing a roller smoothly and
forcibly over it, and succeeded. Prints, from en-
graved copperplates made their first appearance
about 1450, in Germany. Stoltzhirs is said to be
the first who both engraved and printed from cop-
perplates.f He produced several pieces, or speci-
mens, of this kind of work.
Printing Presses.
A PARTICULAR description of the presses first
used in printing, has not come under my observation;
but early writers mention that they were* con-
structed like common wine presses ; and that Gut-
temburg, before he quitted Strasburg, had one made,
* Sculptura, Historico Technica, p. 2.
t Strutt's Hist, of Engraving.
1 z '
186 HISTORY or PRINTING
better adapted to the purpose for which it was in-
tended, than that used by Laurentius, at Haerlem.
The ingenious artists, who first printed at Ve-
nice, it is probable, made improvements on those
used by Fust and Geinsfleiche, at Mentz. Luck-
ombe informs us, that the presses used m Europe,
before the seventeenth century, were " a make shift,
slovenly contrivance ;" and others mention, that
they vrere, in many respects, highly inconvenient.
William Jansen Blaew, was bied a joiner in
Amsterdam. About the year 1620, he made sev-
eral improvements in tlie presses used before, and at
that time ; and, these improvements were soon gen-
erally adopted by the printers in Holland, and after-
ward by those in England, &c. Blaew, after hav-
ing served out his apprenticeship, travelled to Den-
mark, and there was employed by Tycho Brahe,
the celebrated mathematician and astronomer, in
making mathematical instruments, by which means
Blaew appears to have become a favorite with Ty-
cho, ^\ho instructed him in mathematics, and gave
him copies of his celestial observations before they
appeai-ed in public. With these, Blaew returned to
Amsterdam, and there practised making globes
agreeably to Tycho's astronomical tables. He traded
also in maps and geogi'aphical books ; his business
increased ; and, he commenced printing. Discov-
ering tfiiany inconveniences in the structure of the
old presses, he contrived to remove them, and made
a new one, which he found to answer his purpose ;
he, therefore, caused eight more, for himself and
others, to be constructed in the same manner, and
called each one, by the name of one of the muses.
I
IN EUROPE. 187
Presses on Blaew's model, with few alterations
in their construction, some of which were made by
the ingenious Baskerville, printer and type founder
of Birmingham, England, have continued in com-
mon use in Europe and America, till within a few
years past.
An improvement was made in the presses in the
late French king's printing house at Paris, by M.
Anisson, who wrote a treatise on the construction of
those machines, and gave a description of a new
press made for the service of his most Christian
Majesty. This treatise, a late English writer ob-
serves,* must have afforded many useful hints to
his countryman, earl Stanhope, in the formation of
his iron press for stereotype printing ; which press,
this writer says, '' is constructed on the true
principles of mechanism, with much simplicity and
harmony of parts." The common press was found
inadequate to the pressure required for the heavy
forms of stereotype. After many expensive and
laborious experiments, his lordship, with the aid of
a very skilful mechanician, succeeded in the com-
pletion of a press, which fully answered all the pur-
poses of stereotyping. The superiority of this press,
which bears the name of its projector, over those in
common use, is, that it affords a great accession of
power to the pressure of heavy forms of small letter,
and with much less labor than is required at other
presses. Stowers asserts, that " the Stanhope press
is capable of ten times the force of the common
*C. Stowers; from whose work I have extracted the
greater part of what follows relating to the Stanhope stereo-
type press.
168 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
press, with perhaps, a tenth part of the labor ;"
and, that the pressure is so equal, that *' nothing is
left to the judgment of the pressmen but the beat-
ing ;" or supplying the types with ink.
That pait of the machinery of this press, which
produces the power, has been applied to the com-
mon press ; but not with the success that was ex-
pected. The wooden parts of the common press,
were found too weak to bear the pressure produced
by the machinery of the Stanhope press ; the accel-
erated power is produced, principally, " by the ar-
rangement of its bar and spindle." A press, how-
ever, has been constructed, embracing, in a consid-
erable degree, the advantages of the Stanhope press,
?ind is used in many printing houses in Lond6n.
In the course of the last fifty years, several at-
tempts have been made to improve the machineiy
of i^rinting presses. In one of these innovations,
the power of the press was communicated by a cyl-
inder turned by a crank ; in another, by a lever,
witliout a screw ; and, in a third, by a wheel and
weight. As these presses were not so convenient as
those in common use, they were, most of them, soon
set aside. I shall, hereafter, give an account of a
cylindrical press, which was constructed by Nichols,
in London, and might, I conceive, be used to ad-
A'antage, at least in large editions of ordinary work.
It is calculated to produce some saving in both labor
pnd time.
I',
I
SPANISH AMERICA.
THE art of Printing was first introduced into
Spanish America, as nearly as can be ascertained, at
the close of the sixteenth century. The histo-
rians, whose works I have consulted, are all silent,
as to the time when it was first practised on the
American continent ; but, the knowledge we have
of the' Spanish territories, especially of Mexico and
Peru, is so circumscribed, that we cannot fix on
any precise date as tlie period of its commence-
ment; but, it is certain, that Printing was exe-
cuted both in Mexico and Peru, before it made its
appearance in the British North American colonies.
I do not mean to assert, however, that it is impose
sible to ascertain the place where, and the date
when, the first printing was performed in the exten-
sive provinces belonging to Spain ; but, as respects
myself, I have found that an insurmountable dif-
ficulty has attended the inquiry.
I have ascertained that there was a press
established in the capital of Mexico, as early as
1604.
190 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Chevillier, who, I believe, wrote in the be-
ginning of the seventeenth century, refers his read-
ers to some books printed early at Lima, the capi-
tal of Peru.*
Luckombe writes,! that " Printing was extend-
ed to Africa and America, not indeed at the invita-
tion of the natives, especially of America, but by
means of the Europeans ; and, particularly, of the
Spanish missionaries, who carried it to the latter for
their ends ; accordingly, we find that several print-
ing houses were erected ver}'^ early in the city of
Lima, and in several cities of the kingdom of Mex-
ico."
The religion of the Spaniai'ds has suffered very
little, if any innovation ; and many of the books
they have printed in America, are on religious sub-
jects. Copies of these, together with those of va-
rious histories of the old world, and of the discovery
and settlement of America, which have, from time
to time, issued from tlie Mexican and Peruvian
presses, are, it is said, preserved in the colleges of
the capital cities in those provinces, together with
many heavy folio volumes in manuscript, respecting
that country, and ^\Titten there. In this age of rev-
olutions, those, and the olher provinces of Spain,
may experience some convulsions of the revo-
lutionary tornado, by which their parent state is
desolated, in common with the other European
kingdoms. The time may not be far distant when
• Chevillier, a French writer, was library keeper at the
Sorbonnc.
t Plistory and art of Printing. P. 41.
SPANISH AMERICA. 191
a spirit of freedom and a consciousness of their own
strength, may lead the people of the south to follow
the example of their northern neighbors, and estab-
lish their independence ; when that time shall arrive,
strangers, may be permitted to explore their country
without difficulty or restraint.
MEXICO AND PERU.
The books published both in English and Span-
ish America, till within the last fifty years, were,
principally, on religious subjects. Perhaps those
produced in the British colonies, anterior to the
revolution, exceed, in number, those published in
Mexico and Peru ; but, from the best information
I have been enabled to obtain, it appears they were
inferior, in point of magnitude, to tlie many large
and voluminous labors of the monks, on subjects of
devotion and scholastic theology, that have been
printed in the Spanish part of the continent. Be-
side books on religious and devotional concerns,
many large historical works, a variety of dictiona-
ries, grammars, &c. have been produced by the
presses of Spanish America.
Notwithstanding the press in Spanish America
is under severe restrictions, yet the books allowed
to be prmted, together with the works necessarv
for the purposes of government, have afforded it
much employment ; and, from the best information
192 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
I can procure, it appears that the typographical per-
formances, both in Mexico and Peru, have not been
badly executed.
Gazettes have, for many years, been pubUshed
in that country ; some say they were printed before
the end of the seventeenth century ; that they were
so, in the cities of Mexico and Lima, is not improb-
able. Dr. Robertson, in his history of America,
mentions his being furnished with the " Gazeta de
Mexico" for the years 1728, 1729, and 1730, print-
ed in quarto. Having examined the contents, he
observes,* " The Gazette of Mexico is filled al-
most entirely with accounts of religious functions,
with descriptions of processions, consecrations of
churches, beatifications of saints, festivals, autos de
fe, &c. Civil, or commercial affairs, and even the
transactions of Europe, occupy but a small corner
of this monthly magazine of intelligence." He
mentions, also, that the titles of new books were
regularly inserted in the Gazette ; whence it ap-
peared that two thirds of them were treatises on re-
ligion.
As the press is under the absolute control of
government, we might expect to find the cata-
logue of Spanish American publications confined
within narrow limits ; but, the fact is, that the
works which treat of religion, history, morals, and
classical books, M'hich, in that country, are permitted
to be printed, are numerous. Even the dictionaries
and grammars, for tlie use of the various nations of
aborigines in the Mexican provinces only, excite
* Robertson's Amcr. vol. 3. p. 401. Ed. 7. Lond.
SPANISH AMERICA. 193
our surprise. Of these the Abbe Clavigero,t the
historian, mentions five Mexican dictionaries, and
twenty Mexican grammars. Three Otomee dic-
tionaries, and four grammars. Two Tarascaii
dictionaries, and tliree grammars. One Zapotecan
dictionary, and one grammar. One Miztecan gram-
mar. Three Maya dictionaries, and tlii'ee grammars.
Two Totonacan dictionaries, and two grammars.
One Popolucan dictionary, and one gi-ammar.
One Matlazincan dictionary, and one grammar.
Two Haaxtecan dictionaries, and two grammars.
One Mixe dictionary, and one grammar. One
Cakciquel dictionary, and one grammar. One Ta-
raumaran dictionary, and two grammars. One Te-
pehuanan dictionary, and three grammars.
Clavigero also mentions eighty six authors held
in high estimation by the learned ; thirty thi^ee of
whom were Creoles, *' who have ^vritten on the
doctrines of Christianity, and on Morality, in the
languages of New Spain.'''' Their works, and the
dictionaries and grammars before mentioned, were,
unquestionably, printed in the provinces of Mexico ;
and, it is not improbable, that many books, of the
like kind, have been published in the extensive
provinces of Peru, in South America.
Dr. Robertson prefixed to the seventh edition of
his history, a list of Spanish books and manuscripts,
which he consulted for that work. I have extract-
ed from his fist, the titles of those which were
t A learned native of New Spain, who published the his-
tory of ancient Mexico, and the conquest of it, by the Span-
iards, in two large volumes, quarto,
1 2 a
194 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
printed in Mexico and Lima, and have added to
them, some others printed in those cities ; they all
relate solely to the history and conquest of the coun-
try. Among those of which I have thus collected
the titles, the reader will see that the eailiest printed
book is from a Mexican press in 1606. I have
heard of a work, but cannot procure its title, printed
in the capital of New Spain in 1604 ; — there can be
but little doubt that Printing was introduced there
some years before that period.
Mexican Editions.
Martinez [Arigo] History of New Spain.
Folio. Printed at Mexico, 1606. In this work,
according to Clavigero, are astronomical and phys-
ical observations, which are of importance to the
geography and natural history of that country.
Cisneros, [Diego] Sitio Naturaleza y Proprie-
dades de la Ciudad de Mexico. Quarto. Printed
at Mexico, 1618.
Villalobos [Arrias] History of Mexico. Writ*
ten in verse. Folio. Mexico, 1623.
Castillejo, [Chaves Christ.] History of the
Origin of the Indians, and their first Colonies in the
Country of Anahuac. Mexico, 1632.
Gongora [Carlos de Siguenza e, a celebrated
Mexican, professor of mathematics in the university
of his native country] author of several mathemat-
ical, critical, historical and poetical works ; amongst
them were,
SPANISH AMERICA. 195
The Mexican Cyclography, a work of great
labor, in which, by calculating eclipses and comets,
marked in the ancient historical pictures of the
Mexicans, he adjusted their epochs with those of
Europe ; and, he explained the methods by which
they used to enumerate centuries, years and montlis.
Folio. And,
The History of the Chechemecan Empire, in
which Gongora explains what he found in ancient
Mexican manuscripts and paintings, concerning the
first colonies which passed from Asia to America ;
and the occurrences of the most ancient nations es-
tablished in Anahuac. Folio.
All the preceding works of Gongora were print-
ed at Mexico, from 1680 to 1693.
Betancourt [Augustino de, a Franciscan of
Mexico] Mexican Theatre, or the Ancient and
Modem History of the Mexican Empire. Folio.
Mexico, 1698.
Arguello [Eman.] Centum Confessionis, 12mo.
Mexico, 1703.
Aranzeles Reales de los Ministros de la Real
Audiencia de N. Espagna. Folio. Mexico, 1727.
Beltran [P. F. Pedro] Arte de el Idioma Maya
reducido a sucintas reglas, y Semilexicon. Quarto.
Mexico, 1746.
Villa Segnor y Sanchez [D. Jos. Ant.] Theatro
Americano. Descripcion general de los Reynos y
Provincias de la Nueva Espagna. 2 vols. Folio.
Mexico, 1746.
Huemez y Horcasitas [D. Juan Francisco de]
Extracto de los Autos de Diligencias y reconoci-
mientos de los rios, lagunas, vertientes, y'desaguas
196 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
de Mexico y su valle, &c. Folio. Mexico, 1748.
Concilios Provinciales Primero y Segundo cel-
ebrados en la muy Noble y muy leal Ciudad de
Mexico en los Annos de 1555 and 1565. Folio.
Mexico, 1769.
Consilium Mexicanum Provinciale tertium cel-
ebratum Mexici, Anno 1585. Folio. Mexico,
1770.
Lorenzana [D. Fr. Ant.] Arzobisco de Mexi-
co, ahora, de Toledo, Historia de Nueva Espagna,
escrita por su Esclarecido Conquistador Hernan
Cortes, Aumentada con otros Documentos y Notas.
Folio. Mexico, 1770.
Eguiara El Egueren [D. Jo. Jos.] Bibliotheca
Mexicana, sive Eruditorum Historia Virorum in
Americ. Boreali natorum, 8icc. Two volumes.
Folio. Mexico, 1775.
Peruvian Editions*
Arriago [P. Pablo Jos. de] Extirpacion de la
Idolatria de Peru. Quarto. Printed at Lima, 1621.
Bellesteros [D. Thomas de] Ordenanzas del
Peru. Folio. Two volumes. Lima, 1685.
Peralta Barnuevo [D. Pedro de] Lima fundada
o Conquista del Peru Poema Eroyco. Quarto,
Lima, 1732.
Lima, Gozosa's, Descripcion de las festibas De-
monstraciones, Conquista ciudad Celebro la real
Proclamacion de el Nombre Augusto del Catolico
Monarcho D. Carlos III. Quarto. Lima, 1760.
SPANISH AMERICA. 197
Aparicio y Leon [D. Lorenzo de] Discurso
Historico- Politico del Hospital San Lazaro de Li-
ma. Octavo. Lima, 1760.
Jesuitas, CoUeccion de las applicaciones que se
van haciendo de los Cienes, casas y Coligios que
fueron de la Compagnia de Jesus, expatriados de
estos Reales dominios. Quarto. Two volumes.
Lima, 1772 and 1773.
The foregoing books relate solely to the con-
quest and settlement of the country ; copies of
wliich were not without much difficulty procured,
by dr. Robertson, who found it necessary to use the
interest of his friends at the Spanish court. When
we consider that so large a number of valuable
works, on one subject, were published in the cities
of Mexico and Lima only, we are led to suppose that
the whole number, which has been printed on va-
rious other subjects, through the extent of Spanish
America, must be very great ; and this considera-
tion strengthens the opinion before expressed, that,
although the works published in that country, from
the time it was first settled, till the year 1775, might
not equal, in number, those produced by the Anglo
American presses, yet, any deficiency of this nature
has been fully supplied by the superior magnitude
of the Spanish performances.
It evidently appears, that the most voluminous
and expensive works were published by the Span-
iards ; and this is not altogether strange, as they
possessed by far the richest part of the country ;
and tlie settlement of the southern part of the conti-
nent, and of Mexico, commenced a century before
that of the British colonies.
198 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
SAINT DOMINGO.
A PRINTING press was early introduced into
the Spanish part of this island ; probably about the
beginning of the seventeenth century. It was sel-
dom used, except for printing the Usts and returns,
iind other papers for the different branches of tlie
administmtion.
M. de St. Meiy,* in his " Description of the
Spanish part of St. Domingo," informs us, that
" No works concerning the colonies can be printed
in them, without the permission of the council of
the Indies, and it is well known that the council is
not over fond of granting such permissions. In the
examination of the vessels that arrive, strict search
is made after the books proscribed by the inquisi-
tion ; and, as the convent of St. Lawrence the Royal,
has, in Simin, the exclusive privilege of printing
religious books, the senior auditor is exclusively
chai'ged with the causes that this privilege may give
rise to in the island. If a work be printed at St,
Domingo, twenty copies of it must be delivered to
the president, to be sent by him to the council of
the Indies, there to be buried, like every thing else
that is sent thither."
* M. de St. Mery, lived at Cape Francois, previous to the
destruction of it by the blacks. In 1798, he was a booksellei*
in Philadelphia, and a member of the Philosophical Society of
Pemisylvania.
SPANISH AMERICA. 199
In 1790, the printing house, in the city of St.
Domingo, stood in the vicinity of the palace of the
president, or governor general, and not far from the
ancient cathedral ; which,' with the prisons, and
many ancient private houses, form a square, which
is used for a market place. The cathedral was be-
gun in 1512, and finished in 1540 ; and, in it were
interred the remains of the celebrated Christopher
Columbus, the discoverer of tliis continent, which
ought to have borne his name. The cathedral, also,
contains the remains of his brother Bartholomew, or
of Diego, the son of Columbus. The coffins which
contained their bodies were discovered in 1783,
wh€?n, in repairing the cathedral, part of a thick wall
was taken down. This fact St. Mery mentions on
good authority ; which is corroborated by the cer-
tificates of don Joseph Nunez, dean, dignitary of
the holy metropolitan and primatial church of the
Indies, don Manuel Sanchez, canon, dignitary, &c.
and don Pedro de Galvez, preceptor, canon, digni-
tary of the cathedral church, and primate of the
Indies. These certificates are dated at Santo Do-
mingo, April 26, 1783. [/]
There was a printing house at Cape Frangois,
on the French part of the island, as I am informed,
long before that town was destroyed by the negroes
when they revolted.
200 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
CUBA.
This island was discovered by Columbus in
1492. He gave it the name of Ferdinand©, but it
soon after recovered its ancient name of Cuba.
A press, it is said, was established in this
island many years ago ; but it was intended merely
for the use of the govenament.
PORTUGUESE AMERICA.
PRINTING has been long practised in the
Portuguese settlements ; but, I believe, the press
has been kept almost solely for the use of the gov-
ernment. If any literary productions were ever
issued from it, I am unacquainted with them.
As there is an intercourse between the United
States and Brazil, we may hope to obtain, at no dis-
tant period, the history of printing in this part of
South America.
Brazil is an extensive, opulent, and rich country,
divided, according to geographers, into about twenty
provinces, which contain diamond, gold and silver
mines. The number of inhabitants is estimated at
2,500,000, whereof one half are the descendants
of the original possessors of the country ; about
700,000 are slaves imported from Africa, 10,000 of
whom are employed in the diamond mines ; and,
the remainder are native and European Portuguese.
St. Salvador, and St. Sebastian, or Rio Janeiro, are
the principal cities ; the latter, sir George Staun-
ton informs us, contains 43,000 inhabitants — 40,000
1 ^ B
202 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
of these are slaves and people of color-— tlie royal
court of Brazil is held at this place,* now become
the residence of the king and royal family, who lately
fled from Portugal on the invasion of that country
by the emperor of the French. Thus one king of
a civilized people, has been introduced on this con-
tinent. How soon one, or more, may be placed at
the head of the government, or governments, of the
Spanish provinces in South and in North America,
is as yet unknown ; but the time does not appear to
be far remote, when such an event may take place.
* In 1792, according to sir George Staunton's account,
there were but two booksellers in Rio Janeiro, and they sold
books on the subjects of divinity and medicine only.
ENGLISH AMERICA.
NOW THE
UNITED STATES.
Introduction of the Art.
THE early part of the history of the United
States, is not, like that of most other nations, blend-
ed with fable. Many of the first European settlers
of this country were men of letters ; they made
records of events as they passed, and they, from tlie
first, adopted effectual methods to transmit the
knowledge of them to their posterity. The rise
and progress of English America, therefore, from
its colonization to the period at which it took a
name and place among sovereign and independent
nations, may be traced with the clearness and cer-
tainty of authentic history.
That art, which is the preserver of all arts, is
worthy of the attention of the learned and the curi-
ous. An account of the first printing executed in
the English colonies of America, combines many
204 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
of the important transactions of the settlement, as
well as many incidents interesting in the revolutions
of nations ; and, exhibits the pious and charitable ef-
forts of our ancestors, in Newengland, to translate the
sacred Books into a language, which at this short
distance of time is, probably, not understood by an
individual of the human race, and for the use of a
nation* which is now extinct. Such is the fluctua-
tion of human affairs !
The particulars respecting the Printing and
Printers of this country, it is presumed, will gratify
professional men ; and, a general history of this na-
ture will certainly preserve many important facts
which, in a few years, would be irrecoverably lost.
Among the first settlers of Newengland were
many pious as well as learned men. They emi-
grated from a country where the press had more
license than in other parts of Europe, and they were
acquainted with the usefulness of it. As soon as
they had made those provisions that were neces-
sary for their existence in this land, which was then
a rude wilderness, their next objects were, the es-
tablishment of schools, and a printing press ; the
latter of which was not tolerated, till many years
afterward, by the elder colony of Virginia.
The founders of the colony of Massachusetts!
consisted of but a small number of persons, who
* The aborigines of the countiy .
t The reader will perceive that I am here speaking of
Massachusetts proper, not of the colony of Plymouth, where a
settlement was made in the year 1 620. That colony has, how-
ever, long since been incorporated into that of Massachusetts.
UNITED STATES. 205
arrived at Salem in 1628. A few more joined them
in 1629; and governor Winthrop, with the addi-
tion of fifteen hundred settlers, arrived in 1630.
These last landed at the place since called Charles-
town, opposite to Boston, where they pitched their
tents, and built a few huts for shelter. In 1631,
they began to settle Cambridge, four miles from
the place where they landed. They also began a
settlement on the identical spot where Boston now
stands. In 1638, they built an academy at Cam-
bridge, which in process of time was increased to a
college ; and, the same year, they opened a printing
house in that place. In January, 1639, Printing
was first performed in that part of North America,
which extends from the gulph of Mexico to the
frozen ocean.
For this press our country is chiefly indebted
to the rev. mr. Glover, a nonconformist minister,
who possessed a considerable estate, and had left his
native country with a determination to settle among
his friends, who had emigrated to Massachusetts ;
because in this wilderness, he could freely enjoy,
witli them, those opinions which were not counte-
nanced by the government and a majority of the
people in England.
Very little more than the name of this Father of
the American Press is known among us. So far
as my researches have extended, I can only find that
his name has been barely mentioned by two re
spectable journalists,* who were among the first
settlers that emigrated here. This was, probably,
* Governor Winthrop, and captain Johnson.
206 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
owing to his having died on his passage to Massa-
chusetts. By searching the ancient records of the
college, &c. at Cambridge, Massachusetts, I have
been enabled to collect the few particulars respect-
ing him which I shall mention in course.
Another press, with types, and another printer,
were, in 1660, sent over from England by the cor-
poration for propagating the gospel, among the In-
dians, in Newengland. This pre^s, &c. was de-
signed solely for the purpose of printing the Bible,
and other books, in the Indian language. On their
arrival they were carried to Cambridge, and em-
ployed in the printing house already established in
that place.
Notwithstanding Printing continued to be per-
formed in Cambridge, from a variety of causes it
happened, that many original works were sent from
Newengland, Massachusetts in particular, to Lon-
don, to be printed. Among these causes the prin-
cipal were-^first, the press at Cambridge had, gen-
erally, full employment ; secondly, the Printing
done there was executed in an inferior style ; and,
thirdly, many works on controverted points of relig-
ion, were not alloMed to be printed in this country.
Hence it happened that for more than eighty years
after Printing was first practised in the colony, man-
uscripts were occasionally sent to England for pub-
lication.
The fathers of Massachusetts kept a watcliful
e}'e on the press ; and, in neither a religious or civil
point of view, were they disposed to give it much
liberty. Both the civil and ecclesiastical rulers were
fearful that if it was not under wholesome restramts,
\
UNITED STATES. 207
contentions and heresies would aiisc among the
people. In 1662, the government of Massachusetts
appointed licensers of the press ;* and afterward,
in 1664, passed a law that *' no printing should be
allowed in any town within the jurisdiction, except
in Cambridge" — nor should any thing be printed
there but what the government permitted through
the agency of those persons who were empowered
for the purpose. Offenders against this regulation
were to forfeit their presses to the country, and to
be disfranchised of the privilege of printing thereaf-
ter.! I^"' ^ short time, this law was so far repealed,
as to permit the use of a press at Boston, and a per-
son was authorized to conduct it ; subject, however,
to the licensers who were appointed for the purpose
of inspecting it.
It does not appear that the press, in Massachu-
setts, was free from legal restraints till about the
year 1755. Holyoke's Almanack, for 1715, has,
in the title page, " Imprimatur, J. Dudley." A
pamphlet, printed in Boston, on the subject of
building market houses in that town, has the addi-
tion of, " Imprimatur, Samuel Shute, Boston, Feb.
19, 1719.":j: James Franklin, in 1723, was ordered
•Gen. Daniel Gookin, and the rev. mr. Mitchel, of Cam-
bridge, were the first appointed licensers of the press in this
country.
t See this stated more at length in the account given of
Samuel Green, printer at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
I There was no market house in Boston till 1734. On the
20th of April, in that year, the town, after many years contest-
208 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
by the government, not to publish " The New*
England Coiirant," without previously submitting
its contents to the secretary of the province ; and,
Daniel Fowle* was imprisoned by the house of
representatives, in 1754, barely on suspicion of Ids
having printed a pamphlet, said to contain reflections
on some members of the general court.
For several years preceding the year 1730, the
government of Massachusetts had been less rigid
than formerly ; and, after that period, I do not find
that any officer is mentioned as having a particular
control over the press. For a long time, however,
the press appeared to be under greater restrictions
here than in England ; that is, till toward the close
of the seventeenth century.
In the course of this work it will appear, that the
presses established in other colonies were not en-
tirely free from restraint.
In Virginia the first press was not introduced
till about the year 1727. The rulers in that colony,
in the seventeenth century, judged it best not to
permit public schools, nor to allow the use of the
ingthe question, voted to build three houses of wood ; one at
the south part of the town, near the Great Elms ; another on
the Old North square ; the other, in a more central situation,
near the Town Dock, where Faneuil Hall now stands. The
three frames were erected the month following ; and the
sales, at the Town Dock market, commenced the 25th of the
same month. In the course of two or three years, two of the
market houses were sold by order of the town, for other uses ;
and the third was destroyed by " the people."
* See Franklin, and Fowle.
1
UNITED STATES. 209
press.* And thus, by keeping the people in igno-
rance, they thought to render them more obedient
to the laws ; prevent them from libelling the gov*
ermnent, and to impede the growth of heresy, &c.
REMARKS.
The press had become free some years previous
to the .commencement of the revolution ; but it
continued for a long time duly to discriminate be-
tween liberty and licentiousness. This freedom of
the press was the first, and one of the greatest agents
in producing our national independence. The press
appears to be now under no particular restraints,
and no one can wish the liberty of it to be greater.
Kxcept in Massachusetts, no presses were set
up in the colonies till near the close of the seven-
teenth century. Printing then was performed in
Pennsylvania, " near Philadelphia," and aftenvai'd
in that city, by the same press, which, in a few years
subsequent, was removed to Newyork. In 1709,
a press was established at Newlondon, in Connecti-
cut ; and, from this period, it was graduall}^ intro-
duced into the other colonies ; as well as into sev-
eral of the Westindia islands, belonging to Great
Britain.
Till the year 1760, it appears that more books
were printed in Massachusetts, annually, than in any
of the other colonies j and, before 1740, more print-
* Chalmer's Annal. Vol I . p. 32, and 345.
1 2C
210 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
ing was done there than in all the other colonies.
After 1760, the quantum of printing done in Boston
and Philadelphia was nearly equal, till the commence-
ment of the war. Newyork produced some octavo
and duodecimo volumes. — The presses of Connec-
ticut were not idle ; they furnished many pam-
phlets on various subjects, and some small volumes.
Some books were handsomely printed in Virginia
and Maryland ; and folio volumes of laws, and a
few octavos and duodecimos, on religion, history
and politics, issued from the presses of Carolina,
Rhodeisland, Newhampshire, &c.
Before 1775, printing was confined to the cap-
itals of the colonies ; but the war occasioned the dis-
persion of presses, and many were set up in towns
that were remote. After the establishment of our in-
dependence, by the peace of 1783, presses multiplied
very fast, not only in seaports, but in all the princi-
pal inland towns and villages ; and, it may now be
said, that in the United States there are more presses
employed than in any other part of the globe, con-
taining the same number of inhabitants. The ma-
jor part of these presses is used in printing news-
papers ; but newspapers form not the only branch
of printing which has increased. Bibles of all the
various sizes, Dictionaries in English and Latin,
Greek Lexicons-^most of the Greek and Latin
classics, which are used in the country, numerous
original works, as well as the republication of va-
rious European books of history, divinity, law,
physic, philosophy, &c. in volumes of vai'ious mag-
nitudes, now find their way tlirough the presses of
the United States.
1
I
UNITED STATES. 211
Papermaking,
In the beginning of this work, when treating of
paper, I took notice of the various descriptions of it,
made by the Chinese, Japanese, Egyptians, and the
Europeans. I will now give a brief account of the
paper made by the natives of America, before this
country was known to the nations of the old world.
The ancient Mexicans made great use of paper.
They manufactured it from the leaves of a genus of
the aloe, or the palm icxotl, and from the thin bark
of other trees, by a process not now known. They
formed it into sheets of various dimensions and
thicknesses, so as to answer sundry purposes ; some
of the sheets were similar, in thickness, to the thin
pasteboard, and press paper for clothiers, manufac-
tured in Europe ; and some were thinner, but softer,
smoother, and easy to write on. The sheets were
generally made very long, and were polished suita-
bly for the use to which they were intended to be
applied. For preservation they were made up into
rolls, or folded in the manner of bed skreens, and
thus formed into books. Clavigero, who saw and
handled several sheets which are now preserved in
Mexico, informs us, that on this kind of paper the
ancient Mexicans painted, in beautiful and perma-
ment colors, the representations of their gods, their
kings, their heroes, their animals, their plants, and
whatever objects their fancy dictated, or circum-
212 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Stances might require. On paper they delineated,
in hieroglyphics, painted with colors which were ap-
propriated to the subject — " the symbols of their re-
ligion, accounts of remarkable events, their laws,
their rites, their customs, their taxes or tributes.-—
Some of these paintings on paper were clironologic-
al, astronomical, or astrological, in which were rep-
resented their calendar, the position of the stars,
' eclipses, changes of the moon, prognostications of
the variations of the weather — this kind of painting
was called, by them, tonalatnatl. — Other paintings
were topographical, or chorographical, which served
not only to shew the extent and boundaries of pos-
sessions, but, likewise, the situation of places ; the
direction of the coasts, and course of the rivers.*
The Mexican empire abounded with all these kinds
of paintings on paper, for their painters were innu-
merable, and there was hardly any thing left un-
painted. If those had been preserved, there would
have been nothing wanting to explain the history of
Mexico ; but, after the conquest of the country by
the Spaniards, the first preachers of the gospel, sus-
picious that superstition was mixed with all these
paintings, made a furious destruction of them."t
* Cortes says, in his first letter to Charles V, of Spain, that
having made inquiry if there was any safe harbor for vessels in
the Mexican gulf, Montezuma, the Mexican king, presented
him Avith a painting of the whole coast, from the port of Chal-
chiuhcuecan, where at present Vera Cruz lies, to the river
Coatzacualco. This account is confirmed by Bernal Diaz.
t Clavigero's Hist. Mex.
rnriTED STATES. 213
Paper similar to that of Mexico, it is said, was
made in Peru.
Whether the European method of making paper
has ever been introduced into Spanish America, I
am not competent to say ; but, in some of the Eng,
lish colonies, making paper from rags of cotton and
of linen, has long been practised.
Papermills were erected in Pennsylvania many
years before the revolution. There were several in
Newengland, and two or three in Newyork.
About the year 1730, an enterprising booksel-
ler in Boston,* having petitioned for, and received
some aid from the legislature of Massachusetts,
erected a paper mill, which was the first set up in
that colony. Since 1775, paper mills have in-
creased rapidly, and paper is now, I believe, manu-
factured in all parts of the union, f
Type Foundries.
A FOUNDRY, principally for Gothic, or German
types, was established at Germantown, Pennsylva-
nia, several years before the revolution ; but that
foundry was chiefly employed for its owner, Chris-
topher Sower, who printed the Bible, and several
other valuable works, in the German language.
* Daniel Henchman. He produced, in 1731, to the gen-
eral court, a sample of paper made at his mill.
t The paper on which this work is printed, was manufac-
tured in Worcester, at a mill built some years since ; which
has been for some time past owned by Elijah Burbank.
214 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Some attempts were made about 1768, to estab-
lish foundries for types — one at Boston by mr.
Mitchelson, from Scotland ; another in Connecticut
by a mr. Buel ; but they were unsuccessful. In
1775, dr. Franklin brought from Europe to Phila-
delphia, the materials for a foundry ; but little use
was made of tliem.
Soon after the close of the revolutionary war,
John Baine, type founder, of Edinburgh, sent the
materials for a foundry to this country, by a kins-
man, I believe his grandson, who settled at Phila-
delphia. Baine came over himself, soon after ; and
they were the first who regularly carried on the
business of type founders in the United States.
They were good workmen, and had full employ-
ment. The types for the Encyclopedia, twenty
one volumes quarto, printed some years since
by Dobson, at Philadelphia, were cast at their
foundry. Baine died in August, 1790, aged 77.
He must have been 70 years of age when he ar-
rived at Philadelphia. His kinsman returned to
Scotland.
At the commencement of the late commotions in
Holland, an ingenious type founder, from that coun-
try, came and settled at Newyork. His foundry was
calculated, principally, for Dutch and German types,
die casts of which were handsome. The faces of
his English letter were very ordinary. He was a
Dutch patriot, who had lost most of his property,
and was obliged to fly from his country. His want
of funds disabled him from carrying on the business
here with success.
UNITED STATES. 215
At this time we have three or more type found-
ries in the United States. The types from which
this work is printed, were manufactured by Binney
and Ronaldson, at Philadelphia.
Stereotype Printing,
About the year 1775, an attempt at stereotype
printing was made by Benjamin Mecom, printer,
nephew of doctor Franklin. He cast the plates for
a number of pages of the New Testament ; but
never completed them. I shall have occasion to
mention Mecom, in the course of this work, several
times. He was skilful, but not successful.
The ingenious Jacob Perkins, of Newburyport,
Massachusetts, has lately invented a new kind of
stereotype, for impressing copper and other plates.
From plates so impressed, most of the bank bills of
Massachusetts and Newhampshire, are printed at
rolling presses, and are called stereotype bills.
Engraving,
I HAVE already observed, that man, in his pri-
meval state, discovered a propensity to represent,
by figures, on various substances, the animated
work of his Creator.
From sketching, painting, or. engraving these
images, or representations on the surface of those
substances, he proceeded to the business of the
216 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
sculptor or statuar}^, and produced all the features
and proportions of men, and the other various des-
criptions of the animal creation, in wood and stone.
The invention of hieroglyphics has been gener.
ally attributed to the priests of ancient Egypt, who
made use of them, to convey the knowledge they
possessed of the mysteries of nature, and the secrets
of their morality and history, to their successors in
the priesthood, witliout discovering them to the
vulgar ; but dr. Warburton, who appears to have
been well acquainted with the subject of hiero-
glyphic engravings, although his knowledge of coins
and medals was questioned by Pinkerton, has, with
great ingenuity, shewn, that hieroglyphics were not
the invention of Egyptian priests.* — He remarks,
that " the general concurrence of different nations in
this method of recording their thoughts, can never
be supposed to be the effect of imitation, sinister
views, or chance ; but must be considered as the
uniform voice of nature, speaking to the rude con-
ceptions of mankind ; for, not only the Chinese of
the east, the Americans of the west, the Egyptians
of the south, but the Scythians, likewise, of the
north, and the intermediate inhabitants of the earth,
viz. the Phenicians, the Ethiopians, the natives of
India, &c. used the same methods of hieroglyphic
and picture."
At this day the American continent is not des-
titute of vestiges of ancient engi'aving. Long before
the discovery of America by Columbus, we are told
that the Mexicans made coined money of tm and
* See Warburton's works.
A
UNITED STATES. 217
copper, which was stamped by the authority of their
sovereigns and feudal lords.* They were acquaint-
ed with the arts of sculpture and engraving ; and^
Francois Correal says, that the ornaments of the
doors of the temple of the sun, in Peru, were formed
of jasper and granite, and were sculptured in birds,
quadrupeds, and animals of imaginary being, such
as the sphinx, &c. and in the most exquisite man-
ner. Don UUoa gives an account of vases dug up
in South America, which have figures designed
upon them, completely in the Etruscan taste ; form-
ed of earth, or composition, wliich, like the old
Etruscan, is now no where to be found. They were
red, black, and extremely light, and sometimes had
the figures in relief. What is very remai'kable is,
that, like the Etruscan vases, they have been dis-
covered in no other places than sepulchres.
The Mexicans had learned to express in their
statues, " all the attitudes and postures of which the
human body is capable ; they observed the propor-
tions exactly, and could, when necessary, execute
the most delicate and minute strokes," with their
chisels of flint, or of hardened copper.f They ex-
celled in the art of founding and casting, with the
precious metals, the most perfect images of natural
bodies. They were expert lapidaries, and knew
how to form gems into such shapes and figures as
fancy dictated ; and to finish them with an exqui-
site polish. Among their precious stones were
the emerald, amethyst, cornelian, turquoise, and
others which were unknown in Europe. They set
* Clavigero's Hist. Mex. f Ibid.
I 2D
218 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
these stones in gold, and in silver, ^^Tought in a
very skilful manner, and rendered of great value.
Condamine and Clavigero were both astonished at
the industry and patience with which they must
have Avorked in marble. They were workmen in
linen and cloth of various descriptions, as well
as painters and engravers. The specimens of
their art, which were carried to Europe by Cortes,
and others who visited the country, were found to
be nearly inimitable, by the most expert artists of
the old world. Their copper instruments and weap-
ons they hardened to a temper which wsls equal to
that of steel ; an art which the Greeks and Romans
possessed to the time of the taking of Constanti-
nople, by Mahomet II, when, with the knowledge
of the Greek fire, it sunk into oblivion.
The United States have produced several ves-
tiges of engraving, by the rude hands of the aborig-
ines. I have a prospect of obtaining particular ac-
counts of some of them ; which, should I be so
fortunate as to procure, I will take notice of them in
an appendix.
Thus we find that there is hardly any inhabited
part of the world, which did not, before it became
civilized, produce some specimens of engraving.
The modern European art of engraving, was not
greatly encouraged in America before the revolu-
tion, and the artists did not appear to possess first
rate abilities. They were unskilful ; but the in-
crease of printing having made business for the
engraver, and created a necessity for artists in that
line, it has now ai'rived at nearly as great perfection
in tlie United States, as in Europe. Engraving on
UNITED STATES. 219
type metal, and occasionally on brass, in relief, for
letter press printing, has been practised for many
years in the United States ; and, is often as well ex-
ecuted as are wooden cuts, for the like purpose,
on the other side of the Atlantic.
Printing Presses*
^^
The printing presses made use of in the Eng-
lish colonies, before the revolution, were, generally,
imported from England, but some were manufac-
tured in the country.
Since 1775, good presses have been made in
many of the capital towns in the United States, par-
ticularly in Philadelphia, and in Hartford, Connecti-
cut. Some of these presses underwent several par-
tial alterations in their machinery, but no essential
change in the construction was made from the com-
mon English printing press. A few have been con-
trived to perform the operation of printing in a dif-
ferent manner from that press, but these were not
found to be useful.
Some years since doctor Kinsley, of Connec-
ticut who possessed great mechanical ingenuity,
produced, among other inventions, a model of a
cylindrical letter press. It was a subject of much
conversation among printers, but was never brought
into use. The invention, however, did not orig-
inate with Kinsley. Cylindiical letter presses
were invented in 1789, by William Nicholson, of
London, who obtained a patent for them in 1790.
220 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Kinsley's* model was from Nicholson's plan, with
some variation. Nicholson placed his forms of
types horizontally ; Kinsley placed his perpendic-
ularly ; his method was not calculated for neat
printing. Nicholson's presses were used, and, it is
said, made excellent work. These presses require
but one person to work them, who is able to per-
form as much or more work in a day than two at
common presses. The workman applies a sheet of
paper to the form, turns the cylinder by a handle,
the impression is made ; and, he has nothing more
to do than to take off the printed sheet, and put on
another white one, thus continuing to print. The
form is blacked by the revolution of rollers, properly
prepared for the purpose.
For a description of these presses, see appendix
and the plate, both of which are copied from the
supplement of the Encyclopedia, vol. 3.
Rolling Presses.
The rolling press, as it is called, by copperplate
printers, was not used in England, till the reign of
king James I. It was caiTied from Antwerp to
England, by one Speed. I cannot determine when
it was first brought into English America, but I
believe about the beginning of the eighteenth cen-
tury.
* Dr. Kinsley was a native of Massachusetts, but settled in
Connecticut. He invented a machine for making pins, and an-
other for preparing day and moulding bricks, &c.
MASSACHUSETTS.
I
SO fai' as relates to the introduction of the art
of Printing, and establishing the press in this sec-
tion of the continent, Massachusetts claims prece-
dence over all the other colonies. The press was
erected here in the autumn of 1638 ; and, it was
more than forty years before printing commenced in
any other part of what, before the revolution, was
called British America.
Hitherto justice has not been done to the man,
by whose agency the art was first introduced into
the English colonies. Although he was one of the
best, and firmest friends to Newengland, his name
has not been handed down to us with so much pub-
licity as were those of other distinguished charac-
ters, who were his contemporaries, and fellow labor-
ers, in the great work of settling a dreary country,
and civilizing the native children of the wilderness.
The principal cause of this seeming neglect in our
historians and biographers may, perhaps, arise from
this circumstance, that his destiny was similai' to
that of Moses, who, although zealously engaged in
222 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
conducting the childi'cn of Israel from Egypt to
Canaan, yet never reached the land of promise, but
— ^finished his pilgrimage in the mountain of Nebo.
As this patron of the Anglo American press
died on his passage from Europe to this country,
he, of course, did not become so well known, as he
would have been, had he arrived and resided here,
— This circumstance, probably, prevented his ac-
quiring that celebrity to which his merits justly
entitled him. Although his name is barely men-
tioned by two or three journalists, yet, after a dili-
gent research, I have been enabled to obtain the fol-
lowing particulars respecting this venerable Father
of the American Press.
Rev. JESSE GLOVER.*
Mr. Glover was a worthy and wealthy dis-
senting clergyman in England, who engaged in the
business of the settlement of Massachusetts, and
hud been attentively pursuing such measm'es for its
interest and prosperity as he judged would best tend
to promote them. Among other things for the ben-
efit of the infant colony, he was very desirous of
* His christian name has been variously spelled in the an-
cient records. In those of Harvard college it is abbreviated
Josa. In the records of the county court, it is in some places
"written Josse., in others Jesse. In all probability the latter is
liis right name. The author of Wonder-Working Providence
wrote it Jos. which in past times was the abbreviated name of
Joseph.
UNITED STATES. 223
establisliing a press to accommodate the business
both of church and state ;* he contributed liberally
towards a sum sufficient to purchase printing mate-
rials, and for this pui*pose solicited, in Englandf
and Holland, the aid of others.
The ancient records of Harvard college mention,
that " Mr. Joss. Glover gave to the College a ffont
of Printing Letters, and some gentlemen of Am-
sterdam gave towards funiisliing of a Printing
Press with letters forty-nine pounds and somethmg
more. "J The same records give us, also, the follow-
ing names as " Benefactors to the first fFonts of Let-
ters for printing in Cambridge, in New England,
* Wonder-Working Providence of Sion's Saviour in New-
England. Lond. ed. 4to. p. 129; a very scarce book ; it is a
" History of New-England from the English planting in the
yeere 1628 until the yeere 1652." It was wi'itten by major
Edward Johnson, who was one of the first settlers of Wobum,
a very judicious and active man in the settlement of the col-
ony ; he was a member of the general court, and employed in
several important concerns of the government. He was father
of the hon. William Johnson, who was chosen assistant in
1684. — Johnson bears testimony to the worth of mr. Glover,
and speaks of his exertions to promote the interest of the in-
fant colony. He mentions him, as " being able in person and
estate for the work in which he was engaged ;" and " for fur-
ther compleating the Colonies in Church and Common-wealth-
work, he provided [in 1638] a Printer, which hath been very
use full in many respects."
t Governor Winthrop mentions that " a printing house
was begun at Cambridge, at the charge of Mr. Glover."
See his Journal, p. 171.
\ Ancient records of Harvard college. Vol. 1 and 3, in MS.
224 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Major Thomas Clark, Capt. James Oliver, Capt*
Allen, Mr. Stoddard, Mr. Freake, and Mr. Hues.'*
In the year 1638, mr. Glover, having obtained
the means, procured a good printing apparatus, and
engaged a printer to accompany it in a ship bound
to Newengland. Mr. Glover, with his family, em-
bai'ked in the same vessel ; but unfortunately he did
not live to reach the shores of this new world.*
His widow and children, it is supposed, arrived in
the autumn of that year, and settled at Cambridge ;
she afterwards became the wife of mr. Henry Dun-
ster, who was elected the first president of Harvard
college.
It is not known, whether mr. Glover had been
in Newengland previous to his embarking for this
country in 1638 ; but I find by the records of the
county of Middlesex, that he possessed a valuable
real and personal estate in Massachusetts ; that he
had two sons and three daughters ; that John Glov-
er, one of the sons, was educated at Harvard col-
lege, and graduated in 1650, and was appointed a
magistrate in 1652 ; that one of the daughters was
* In the same ship in which mr. Glover embarked for
Newengland, came passenger the rev. Ezekiel Rogers, who,
with a number of emigrants, about sixty families, from Eng-
land, settled at Rowley ; and mr. Rogers was cliosen and or-
dained their minister. These people were the first settlers of
that town ; they soon erected a number of houses, and were
the first who manufactured woollen cloth in this part of Amer-
ica ; many of them having followed the business in its various
branches in England. They built a fulling mill, and employed
their children in spinning cotton, &;c. [^Wond. Work. Frov.
p. 130.
\
UNITED STATES. 225
married to mr. Adam Winthrop, and another to
mr. Appleton.
Mr. Glover had doubtless been written to and
requested by his friends — among whom were the
leading men in the new settlement of Massachu-
setts, who were then establishing an academy, which
soon acquired the appellation of coUege-^to provide
a press, &c. not only for the advantage of the church
and state, but particularly for the benefit of the
academy ; the records of which prove that the types
and press were procured for, and, the types partic-
ularly, were the property of, that institution. The
press, as appears by the records of the county court
of Middlesex, 1656, was the property of Mr. Glov-
er's heirs. Mr. Glover, it should seem, intended to
have carried on both printing and bookselling ; for,
beside the printing materials, he had provided a
stock of printing paper, and a quantity of books for
sale.
John Glover, one of the sons of Jesse Glover,
after the death of his mother, brought an action, in
the court above mentioned, against his father in law
Dunster, for the recovery of the estate which had
belonged to his father and mother, and which was
detained by Dunster. An inventory of tiie estate
was filed in court ; among the items were the print-
ing press, printing paper, and a quantity of books.
The inventory proves that the press, then the only
one in the country, was the property of the plaintiff
in the action ; and, it is she\vn by the said inventory,
and by the records of the general court, that Dun-
ster had had the management of the press, in right
"I 2 E
226 HISTORY OF PRINTING.^
of his wife, and as president of the college ; and, that
he had received the " profits of it." As it may amuse
those who feel an interest in whatever concerns the
first press, and the person by whose agency the art
of Printmg was introduced into the colonies, and as
others may be gratified by the perusal of the pro.
ceedings in, and decision of, one of the courts of
justice holden in the primitive state of the country,
I have extracted them, verbatim et literatim, from
the records, and added them with the inventory
beforementioned in note [§•]
CAMBRIDGE.
The printing apparatus, as has been related,
was, in the year 1638, brought to Cambridge, then
as much settled as Boston ;* both places being
founded in a situation which eight years before this
event, was in scriptural language, a howling wilder-
ness— at Cambridge the building of an academy
was begun ; and, it was at that place the rulers
both of church and state then held their assem-
blies. These circumstances, probably, induced
those who had the management of public affairs to
fix the press there ; and, there it remained for sixty
* Boston and Cambridge are separated by Charles river.
Cambridge was first intended as the capital of the colony ; two
years after the settlement began, si preference was given to
Boston.
UNITED STATES. 227
years, altogether under their control ; as were otlier
presses afterward established in the colony; but,
for upwards of thirty years. Printing was exclu-
sively carried on in that town.
STEPHEN DAYE.
I.
Da YE was the first who printed in this part of
America. He was the person whom mr. Glov-
er engaged to come to Newengland, and conduct
the press. He was supposed to be a descendant of
John Daye, a very eminent printer, in London, from
1560 till 1583, but this cannot be accurately ascer-
tained. He was, however, bom in London, and
there served his apprenticeship to a printer.
Daye having, by the direction of the magistrates
and elders, erected the press and prepared the other
parts of the apparatus, began business in the first
month of 1639.*
The first work which issued from the press was
The Freetnan's Oath; — to which succeeded. An
Almanack.
However eminent Daye's predecessors, as
printers, might have been, it does not appear
that he was well skilled in the ait ; it is probable
he was bred to the press ; his work discovers
b\it little of that knowledge which is requisite for
a compositor.
• Winthrop's Journal, p. 171.
i
228 HISTORY OJ PRINTING.
In the ancient manuscript records of the colony,
are several particulai^ respecting Daye ; the first is
as follows.
" Att a General Court held at Boston on the
Eighth Day of the Eighth moneth [October] 1641.
Steeven Day being the first that sett vpon print-
ing, is graunted three hundred acres of land, where
it may be convenient without prejudice to any
to^vn."
In 1642, he owned several lots of land " in the
bounds of Cambridge." He mortgaged one of
those lots as security for the payment of a cow, calf,
and a heifer ; whence, we may conclude, he was
not in very affluent circumstances.*
* A simple memorandum of the fact, made in the book
of records, was then judged sufficient, without recording a
formal mortgage ; this appears by the first book of records
kept in the colony, now in the registry of deeds of the county
of Suffolk, Massachusetts, from which the following are ex-
tracted, viz.
" Steven Day of Cambridge graunted vnto John Whyte
twenty Seaven Acres of land laying in the Bounds of Cambridg
for the payment of a cowe and a calf and a two yeares old
heiffer." Dated the 25th of the 5th month, 1642.
" Steeven Day of Cambridg graunted vnto Nicholaus Da-
vidson of Meadford, all his lands on th^ south side of Charles
River, being aboute one hundred Acres in Cambridg bounds,
for surety of payment of sixty pounds, with sundry provisions.'*
Dated the 25th of the 5th month, 1642.
" Steeven Pay of Cambridg bound over to Thomas Crosby,
five lots of land in the new field beyond the water in Cambridg,
number 24, 25, 26, 27, and 29th, in all sixety Acres, for the
payment of fiftey seaven pounds, with liberty to take off all
wood and timber," &,c. Dated 16th of 2d month, 1 643.
UNITED STATES. 229
In 1643, Daye, for some offence, was by order
of the general court taken into custody j his crime
does not appear on record ; the court " ordered,
that Steven Day shall be released, giving lOOl. Bond
for appearance when called for."
Daye continued to print till about the close of
of the year 1648, or the beginning of 1649 ; at
which time the printing house was put under the
management of Samuel Green. Whether the re-
signation of the office of manager of the printing
house, was, or was not, voluntary in Daye, cannot
be ascertained. Neither the press, nor the types,
belonged to him ; he had been employed only as
the master workman ; his wages were imdoubtedly
low ; and, it evidently appears, he was embarrassed
with debts. His industry and economy might not
be suited to the state of his finances ; circumstances
like these might cause mr. Dunster, who it seems
then conducted the printing business, to be dissatis-
fied, and induce him to place tlie printing house in
other hands ; or, it was possible, that Daye, find-
ing himself and the press under a conti'ol he was
unwilling to be subjected to, resigned his station.
Daye remained in Cambridge ; and, some years
after he had ceased to be master workman in the
printing house, brought an action against presi-
dent Dunster, to recover one hundred pounds for
former services. The record of the decision of the
county court in that case, is as follows. " Att a
County Court held at Cambridge, April, 1656,
Steeven Day Plant, against Mr. Henry Dunster,
Defft. in an action of the case for Labour and Ex-
penses about the Prmting Presse and the utensils
230 HISTORY QF PRINTING.
and appurtenances thereof and the mannageing the
said worke to the valine of one hundred pounds.
The Jury finds for the Defft. costs of court."
In 1655, he had not obtained the land granted
to him in 1641. This appears by the following
extracts from the public records, viz.
" At a General Court of Elections holden at
Boston 23d of May 1655, In answer to the Peticon
of Steeven Day of Cambridge craving that the
Graunt within the year 1641 of this Court of three
hundred Acres of Land to him for Recompence of
his Cai'e and Charge in furthering the worke of
Printing, might be recorded, the Record whereof
appears not,* the Court Graunt his Request and
doeth hereby confirme the former graunt thereof
to him."
" At a General Court of Elections holden at
Boston, 6th of May 1657, Steeven Day of Cam-
bridg having often complayned that he hath suffered
much dammage by Erecting the Printing Presse at
Cambiidg, at the Request of the Magistrates and
Elders, for which he never had yett any Consider-
able Sattisfaction. This Court doe Graunt him
three hundred Acres of Land in any place not for-
merly Graunted by this Court."
In the records of 1667, is the following order
of the General Court relative to another petition
from Daye, viz. "In answer to the Peticon of
Steeven Daye, It is ordered that the Peticoner hath
liberty to procure of the Sagamore of Nashoway
* The record appears to have been regularly made in 1641.
I extracted it from the original record book of the colony for
that year.
I
UNITED STATES. 231
[now Lancaster] by sale, or otherwise to the quan-
tity of one hundred and fifty acres of Vpland, and
this Court doeth also graunt the petitioner twenty
Acres of meadow where he can find it free of
former Graunts."
Daye died in Cambridge, December 22, 1668,
aged about 58 years. Rebecca Daye, probably his
wife, died October 17, of the same year.
I have found but few books printed by Daye.
I have never seen his name in an imprint, and, I
believe, it never appeared in one. Several books
printed at Cambridge, by his successor, are without
the name of the printer ; and, some of them do not
give even the year in which they were printed;
but I have identified the following
Catalogue of Books printed 6y Daye.
1639. The Freeman's Oath.
1639. An Almanack, calculated for New England. — By
Mr. Pierce, Mariner. — The year begins with March.
1640. The Psalms in Metre, FaithfiiUy translated for the
Use, Edification, and Comfort of the Saints in publick and pri-
vate, especially in New England. Crown 8vo. 300 pages. An
entire copy, except the title page, is now in the possession of
the rev. mr. Bentley, of Salem ; this copy I have carefully ex-
amined, and although the title page is wanting, and no imprint
appears, I have no doubt but it is one of the impression of the
Jirst book printed in this country. The type is Roman, of the
size of small bodied english, entirely new, and may be called a
very good letter. In this edition there are no Hynms or Spir-
itual Songs ; it contains only the Psalms, the original long
Preface, and " An Admonition to the Reader" of half a page,
at the end of the Psalms after " Finis." — This " Admonition"
respects the tunes suited to the psalms. The second edition
232 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
in 1647, contained a few Spiritual Songs.— The third edition,
revised and amended by president Dunster, &c. had a large
addition of Scripture Songs and Hymns, written by mr. Lyon.
The first edition abounds with typographical errors, many of
which were corrected in the second edition. This specimen
of Daye's printing does not exhibit the appearance of good
workmanship. The compositor must have been wholly unac-
quainted with punctuation. " The Preface," is the running
title to that part of the work. " The." with a period, is on the
left hand page, and " Preface.*' on the right. Periods are
often omitted where they should be placed, and not seldom,
used where a comma only was necessary. Words of one syl-
lable, at the end of lines, are sometimes divided by a hyphen ;
at other times, those of two, or more syllables, are divided
without one ; the spelling is bad and irregular. One thing is
very singular — at the head of every left hand page throughout
the book, the word " psalm" is spelled as it should be ; at
the head of every right hand page, it has an e final, thus,
" PSALME." Daye was probably bred a pressman; the press-
work is passable. The book is bound in parchment. [A]
This was commonly called " The Bay Psalm Boo ," but
aftei-ward, " The New England Version of the Psalms." The
rev. Thomas Prince, of Boston, who published a revised and
improved edition in 1758, gives, in his preface, the follow-
ing account of its origin and of the first edition print<?d by
Daye, viz. " By 1636 there were come over hither, near thirty
pious and learned Ministers, educated in the Universities of
England, and from the same exalted Principles of Scriptur6
Purity in Religious Worship, they set themselves to translate
the Psalms and other Scripture Songs into English Metre, as
near as possible to the inspired Original, They committed
this Work especially to the Rev. Mr. Weld, and the Rev. John
Eliot of Roxbury,* well acquainted with the Hebrew, in which
the Old Testament, and with the Greek, in which the New,
were originally written. They finished the Psalms in 1640,
which were first Printed by Mr. Daye that Year, at our Cam-
bridge, and had the Honor of being the First Book printed in
* Eliot who translated the Bible into the Indian language.
UNITED STATED. 233
in North America, and as far aS I find in this whole New
World."*
1640. An Almanack for 1640.
1641. A Catechism, agreed upon by the Elders at the
Desire of the General Court.f
1641. Body of Liberties. [This book contained an hun-
dred Laws, which had been di-awn up pursuant to an order of
the general court, by Nathaniel Ward, pastor of tlie church
in Ipswich. Mr. Ward had been a minister in England, and
formerly a practitioner of law in the courts of that countiy.:^
1641. An Almanack for 1641. [One or more Alma-
nacks were every year printed at the Cambridge press. In
all of them the year begins with March.]
1647. The Psdms in Metre. Faithfiilly translated for
the Use, Edification and Comfort of the Saints, in public
and private, especially in New-England. Cro. 8vo. 300 pages.
[This was a second edition, somewhat amended, and a few
Spiritual Songs added. After this edition was published, the
rev. Henry Dunster, president of Harvard college, and a
maste^.of the Oriental languages, and mr. Richard Lyon, ed-
ucated at a university in Europe, were appointed a committee
further to revise and improve the PsaJms, Avhich service they
performed Ln two or three years ; when another edition was
published, mth the addition of other scriptural Songs. This
revised version went through numerous editions, in New-
cngland. It was reprinted in England and Scotland ; and
was used in inany of the English dissenting congregations, as
well as in a number of the churches in Scotland — it was added
* The reverend annalist is here in an error. Printing was introduced into
Mexico, and other Spanish provinces in America, many years before the set-
tlement of the English colonies in North America.
+ This work, is mentioned in governor Winthrop's Journal.
;{: The " Body of Liberties" bad been revised and altered by the General
Court, and sent to every tov/n for further consideration. This year the
Court again revised and amended the laws "contained in that book, and pub-
lished and established them as an experiment for three years.
Winthrop's Jouraat,
1 2F
234 HISTORY GF PRINTING.
to several English and Scotch editions of the Bible; and, went
through fifty editions, including those published in Europe.]
1647. Danforth's [Samuel] Almanack for 1647. "Cam-
bridg, Printed 1647."
1648. Danforth's [Samuel] Almanack. " Cambridg
Printed 1 648 ." The typography is rather better than usual.
1648. The Laws of the Colony of Massachusetts ; drawn
up by order of, and adopted by, the General Court, &c. Folio.
I have not found a copy of this work.
1648. [About.] Astronomical Calculations. By a Youth.
[Urian Oakes, then a student atCambi'idge ; where he was, af-
terward, settled in the ministry, and elected president of Har-
vard college.] The Almanack had the motto — Parvum fiarva
decent i sedinest sua gratia fiarvis. The year in which this
was published is not ascertained, nor by whom printed.*
1649. Danforth's [Samuel] Almanack. "Cambridg,
Printed."
Beside the works already enumerated, there were
many others printed by Daye ; but, no copies of
them are now to be found.
Although I have not been able to discover a
copy of the laws, printed in 1648 ; yet, respecting
this edition, there is the following record, viz.
" At a General Court of Elections held at Bos-
ton 8th month, 1648. It is ordered by the Court
that the Booke of Lawes now at the Presse may be
sould in Quires at 3s. the booke provided that every
member of this Court shall have one without price,
and the Auditor Generall and Mr. Joseph Hills ; for
which there shall be fifty in all taken up to be so
disposed by the appointment of this Court." [z]
* It is mentioned by Mather in his Magnalia, by Holmes in his History
ef Cambridge, in Hist, Col.-— and, by others.
UNITED STATES.
SAMUEL GREEN.
235
Wa s the son of Percival and Ellen Green ; who,
with their children and other relations, were among
the first settlers of Cambridge ;* they emigrated
from England, and arrived with governor Win-
throp, in 1630. Green and his family came in the
ship in which the hon. Thomas Dudley, deputy
governor, was a passenger. f Samuel Green was
then only sixteen years of age. He was in Cam-
bridge eight years before Daye came from England ;
but was unknown as a printer until about 1649,
nearly eleven years after Daye's arrival.
Some ^vi'iters, since the year 1733, erroneously
mention Green as the " first who printed in New-
england, of in North America."
All the records I have examined are silent res-
pecting the cause of Daye's relinquishing the man-
* The records of the county of Middlesex inform us, that
four sons of Percival Green, were living in 169 1, viz. Samuel,
Nathaniel, Edward, and Thomas — a fifth son, whose name
was John, died some years before ; Percival had a brother,
Bartholomew, who also settled m Cambridge. After the death
of Percival Green, his widow married Thomas Fox. In 1691,
Samuel Green and his brothers sued Fox for recovery of a lot
of land in Cambridge, that he then held in possession, which
had belonged to their father.
t Boston News-Lettcr, Jan. 30, 1733.
236 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
agcment of die press ; nor do they give any reason
why his place in the printing house was supplied
by the appointment of Green. The similarity of
Green's first printing to that of Daye's, induces me
to believe that Green was unacquainted with the art,
when he undertook the management of the press,
and that he was assisted by Daye, who continued to
reside in Cambridge ; and, whose poverty, probably,
induced him to become, not only an instructer, but,
a journeyman to Green.
By the records of the colon}^, it appears, that the
President of the college still had the direction of the
concerns of the printing house, and made contracts
for printing ; and, that he was responsible for the
productions of the press, until licensers were ap-
pointed. I have extracted the following from the
records of 1650 and 1654.
" At a third meeting of the General Court of
Elections at Boston, the 15th of October 1650, It
is ordered that Richai'd Bellingham, Esquir, the
Secretary and Mr. Hills, or aney Two of them, are
appointed a Comittee to take order for the printing
the La\\^es Agreed vppon to be printed, to determine
of all Things in reference thereunto. Agreeing with
the President ffor the printing of them with all Ex^
pedition and to Alter the title if there be Cawse."-^
" At a General Court of Elections, held at Bos-
ton, the third of May 1654. It is ordered by this
Court that henceforth the Secretary shall, within
tcnn dayes after this present sessions, and so from
time to time deliver a copie of all Lawes that are to
* MS. Recorde of the Colony, Vol. 2. p. 40.
i
UNITED STATES. 237
be published, unto the President or printer who
shall forthwith make an Impression thereof to the
noumber of five, Six, or Seven hundred as the
Court shall order, all which Coppies the Treasurer
shall take of and pay for in wheate, or otherwise to
Content, for the Noumber of five hundred, after the
rate of one penny a Sheete, or eight shillings a
hundi'ed for five hundred sheetes of a Sorte, for so
many sheetes as the bookes shall contajne, and the
Treasurer shall disterbute the bookes to every
magistrate one, to every Court one, to the Secreta-
ry one, to each towne where no magistrate dwells
one, and the rest amongst the Townes that beai'e
publick charge with this jurisdiction, according to
the noumber of freemen in each Towne. And the
order that Ingageth the Secretary to transcribe cop-
pies for the ToAvnes and others, is in that respect
repealed."*
" At a General Court held at Boston 9th of June
1654 Upon Conference with Mr. Dunster, [presi-
dent of the college] and the printer in reference
to the imprinting of the Acts of the General Court,
whereby we understand some ihconveniencies may
accrue to the Printer by printing that Law which
recites the agreement for printing. It is therefore
Ordered, tliat the said Law be not put forth in print,
but kept amongst the written records of this
Court."
* I have quoted ancient records in many instances, as they
not only give facts correctly, but convey to us the language, Sec.
of the periods in which they werc made.
238 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Whether Green was, or was not acquainted with
printing, he certainly, some time after he began that
business, prosecuted it in such a way as, generally,
met approbation. He might, by frequenting the
printing house, when it was under the care of Daye,
have obtained that knowledge of the art, which
enabled him, with good workmen, to carry it on ;
be this as it ma}', it is certain that as he proceeded
with the execution of the business, he seems to
have acquired more consequence as a printer ; his
work, however, did not discover that skill of the
compositor, or the pressman, that was afterwards
shewn when Johnson,, who was sent over to assist
in printing the Indian Bihle^ arrived.
In 1658, Green petitioned the general court for
a grant of land. The court took his petition into
consideration, and detemiined as follows, viz.
*' At the Second Sessions of the General Court
held at Boston the 19th of October 1658, in answer
to the Peticon of Samuel Green, of Cambridge,
printer. The Court judgeth it meete for his En-
couragement to graunt him three hundred acres of
Land where it is to be found."
In 1659, the records of the colony contain the
following order of the general court. " It is order-
ed by this Court that the Treasurer shall and hereby
is empowered to disburse out of the Treasury what
shall be necessary tending towards the printing of
the Lawes, to Samuel Greene, referring to his
Piijnes therein or otherwise." This edition of the
Laws was ordered to be printed December 1658,
and was finished at the press, October 16th, 1660.
UNITED STATES. 239
From the MS. records of tlie commissioners of
the united colonies, who were agents for the cor-
poration, in England, for propagating the gospel
among the Indians, in Newengland, we find, tliat
in 1656, there were two presses in Cambridge
both under the care of Green. One belonged to
tlie college, which undoubtedly was the press that
mr. Glover purchased in England, and Daye
brought over to America ; the other, was the prop-
erty of the corporation in England. There wxre
types appropriated to each.
The corporation, for a time, had their printing
executed in London ; but, when the Indian youth
had been taught to read, &c. at the school at Cam-
bridge, established for the purpose, and mr. Eliot
and mr. Pierson, had translated Primers and Cate-
chisms into the Indian language, for the common
use of the Indians, and eventually translated the Bi-
ble, it became necessary that these works should be
printed in America, under tlie inspection of the
translators. For this reason the corporation sent
over a press and types ; furnished eveiy printing ma-
terial for their work ; and, even paid for mending of
the press, when out of repair. In September, 1654,
the commissioners in the united colonies found that
a sufficient quantity of paper and types for the pur-
pose of executing the works which were projected,
had not been received; they, therefore, WTote to
the corporation in England for an augmentation to
the value of 20 1.* The articles arrived in 1655.
Green judging it necessary to have more types
for the Indian work, in 1658 petitioned the genenU
* All the suras are in sterling money.
240 HISTORY OF PRINTTNn.
court to that purpose. The court decided thereon
as follows, viz.
" At a General Court holden at Boston 19th of
May 1658. In answer to the Peticon of Samuel
Green, printer, at Cambridge, The Court Judgeth it
meete to Comend the consideration therof to the
Comissioners of the United Colonjes at their next
meeting that so if they see meete they may write to
the Corporation in England for the procuring of
twenty pounds worth more of letters for the vse of
the Indian CoUedg."
When the press and types, &c- sent by the cor-
poration in England, for printing the Bible and other
books in the Indian Language, arrived, they were
added to the printing materials belonging to the col-
lege, and, altogether made a well furnished printing
house ; the types were neat, and the faces of them
as handsome as any that were made at that time ;
they consisted of small founts of nonpareil, brevier,
long primer, small pica, pica, english, great primer,
and double pica ; also, small casts of long primer
and pica Hebrew, Greek, and blacks.
The building occupied for a printing house, was
■yvell suited to the business. It had been designed
for a college for the Indian youth.*
• General Daniel Gookin, who lived in Cambridge, and
who, in 1662, was appointed one of the two first licensers of
the press, mentions in hia work, entitled " Historical Collec-
tions of the Indians, of New England," dedicated to king
Charles II, that " the house erected for the Indian college,
built strong and substantial of brick, at the expense of the Cor-
poration in England, for propagating the Gospel in New Eng-
latid, and cost between 3001. and 400U not being improved for
UNITED STATES. 241
Green now began printing the Bible in the Indian
language, which, even at this day, would be thought
a work of labor, and must, at that eai'ly period of the
settlement of the country, have been considered a bu-
siness difficult to accomplish, and of great magnitude.
It was a work of so much consequence as to aiTcst
the attention of the nobility and gentry of England,
as well as that of kmg Charles, to whom it was ded-
icated. The press of Harvard college, in Cam*
bridge, Massachusetts, was, for a time, as celebrated
as the presses of the universities of Oxford and
Cambridge, in England. Having obtained many
particulars relating to the printing of this edition of
the Bible, I will follow Green through that arduous
undertaking.
In 1659, Hezekiah Usher, merchant, and book-
seller, of Boston, agent for the corporation, charges
that body 401. paid Green for printing " the Psalms
andMr. Pierson's Cattechisme," &c. and credits 80 1.
in printing types ; he, also, gives credit for one hun-
dred and four reams of paper, sent by the corpora-
tion, toward printing the New Testament " in the
Indian language." The corporation, in a letter
dated London, April 28, 1660; and directed to
the commissioners, observes, " Conserning youer
Printing the New Testament in the Indian Lan-
guage, a sheet whereof you haue transmitted to vs,
wee concurr with youerselues therin, and doe ap-
the ends intended, by reason of the death and failing of Indian
Scholars, was taken to accommodate English scholars, and for
placing and using the Printing Press belonging to the Col-
lege," Sec. This building was taken down many years since.
It stood not far from the other buildings of the college.
I 2G
242 HIStORY OF PRINTING.
prone of that prouision you have made for printing
the same conceiueing and offering as our judgments
that it is better to print fifteen hundred than but a
thousand ; hopeing that by incurragement from Si-
on Colhdge, with whom we haue late conference,
you may bee enabled to print fifteen hundred of the
Ould Testament likewise." ,
Usher, in his account rendered to the corpora-
tion, in 166D, debits the stock of the corporation
with two hundred reams of printing paper, " bought
since he rendered his last account," and with print-
ing ink and types, and " setting them in the presse'*
the gross sum of £^120 1 8 ; and, to *' cash paid Mr.
Green for distributing the ffont of letters and print-
ing six sheets of the New Testament in Indian att
four pounds per sheet, £"24."
In September 1661, the commissioners, who
that year met at Plymouth, wrote to mr. Usher ;
and, among other things, thanked him for liis " care
in prouiding Matterials and furthering the printing
of the Bible, and desire the continuance of the same
vntill it bee Issved ;" and to " pay Mr. Green for
printing the same as formerly ; also to " demaund
and receiue of Mr. Green the whole Impression of
the New Testament in Indian, now finished ; and
take care for the binding of two hundred of them
strongly, and as speedily as may bee with leather or
as may bee most serviceable for the Indians ; and
deliuer them forth as you shall haue direction from
any of the comissioners for the time being -of
which keep an exact account that soe it may bee
seen how they are Improved and disposed of; alsoe,
wee pray you take order for the printing of a thous-
UNITED STATES. 24^
and coppyes of Mr. EUotts Catichismes which
we vnderstand are much wanting amongst the
Indians, which being finished, Receiue from the
Presse and dispose of them according to order
abouesaid."
The agent, in his account current with the cor^
poration in 1662, has, among other charges, one for
" Disbursements for printing the Bible as per bill
of particulars £'234 11 8."*
This bill was only for one year ending Sep-
tember 1662. At that time Green, by direction,
gave to the commissioners —
" An account of the Vtensils for Printing belong-
ing to the Corporation, in the costody of Samuell
Green of Cambridge Printer and giuen in vn-
der his hand, viz.
The presse with what belongs to it with one tinn
pann and two frisketts.
* The following, is the bill of particulars, as charged by
Green, viz.
To mending of the windowes of the printing house, ^1 0 5
To pack thrid and uellum, 5 6
To 2 barrells of Inke and leather for balls, 20 0 O
To hide for the presse being broken, 1 0 0
To 160 Reams of paper Att 6s. per ream, 48 0 0
To printing the Title sheet to the New Testament, 1 0 0
To printing 1500 Cattechismes, 15 0 0
To printing 2 1 sheets of the Old Testament, att
31b. 10 s. per sheet Mr. lohnson being absent, 73 10 0
To printing 25 sheets with his healp att 50 shill.
per sheet, 62 10 0
To binding 200 Testaments att 6 d. a peece, 5 0 0
To Mr. lohnsons board, 7 5 9
»C234 11 8
244 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Item two table of Cases of letters [types] with one
ode [odd] Case.
Item the fFontt of letters together with Imperfections
that came since.
Item one brasse bed, one Imposing Stone.
Item two barrells of Inke, 3 Chases, 2 composing
stickes one ley brush 2 candlestickes one for the
Case the other for the Presse.
Item the frame and box for the sesteren [water
trough.]
Item the Riglet brasse rules and scabbai'd the
Sponge 1 galley 1 mallett 1 sheeting [shooting]
sticke and furniture for the chases.
Item the letters [types] that came before that wei-e
mingled with the colledges."
At the meeting of the commissioners in Sep-
tember 1663, the agent charges the corporation
with the balance due for printing the Bible, which
he paid that month to Green, in full for his services,
jf 140 12 6. Green, at this meeting, gave in an
account of all the printing paper he had received at
different times, from the coq^oration, and their
agent, amounting to 469 reams; 368 reams of
which he had used in printing the Bible, 30 reams
in printing two Catechisms, and there remained in
his hands 71 reams.
At the meeting of the commissioners in Sep-
tember 1664, among the articles charged in the
agent's account with the corporation, was the fol-
lowing bill of sundries paid to Green, viz.
*' To expences about the presse for mend-
ing it ; makeing new Chases, and to
twenty seauen skins for balls ^c. £4 4 4
UNITED STATES. 245
To two smale Chests to put the Bibles in
[20 copies] that were sent to Eng-
land, 5 0
To printing the Indian Psalmes to go with
the Bible, 13 sheets att 2 lb per sheet, 26 0 0
To printing the Epistle dedicatory to the
Bible, 10 0
To printing Baxter's Call in Indian, eight
sheets at 50s. per sheet, 20 0 0
To printing tlie Psalter in Indian, 9 sheets
at 20s. 9 0 0
To one yeares board of lohnson, 15 0 0
The agent, in his account for 1669, charges,
" Cash pai4 Green for binding and clasping 200
Indian Bibles at 2 s. 6 d. £25. — For binding 200
Practice of Piety at 6d. £S. — ^For do. 400 Baxter's
Call at 3s. per 100, 12s." &c.
I have made a calculation from the documents
I have seen, and find the whole expense attending
the carrying through the press, 1000 copies of the
Bible ; 500 additional copies of the New Testa-
ment; an edition of Baxter's Call to the Uncon-
verted ; an edition of the Psalter, and two editions
of Eliot's Catechism, all in the Indian language,
including the cost of the types for printing the Bible,
and the binding a part of them, and also the binding of
a part of Baxter's Call, and the Psalters, amounted
to a fraction more than 1200 1. sterling. The Bible
was printed on a fine paper of pot size, and in quarto.
After the first edition of the Bible, and some other
books in the Indian language, had been completed
at the press belonging to the corporation for propa-
gatmg the gospel, &c. the corporation made a pres-
246 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
ent of their printing materials to the college* On
this occasion the government of the college ordered
as follows.
" Harvard CoUedge Sept. 20, 1670. The hon-
orable Corporation for the Indians having ordered
their Printing Presse, letters, and Vtensils to be
delivered to the CoUedge, the Treasurer is ordered
forthwith to take order for the receiveing thereof,
and to dispose of the same for the CoUedge use and
improvement."* Green, by direction, gave to the
president a schedule of the articles, and valued them
at 80 1. That sum must have been very low. With
these types he began another edition of the Indian
Bible in 1680, and completed it in 1686.
Some small religious treatises having been pub-»
lished in 1662, which the general court, or some of
the ruling clergy, judged rather too liberal, and
tending to open the door of heresy, licensers of the
press were appointed ;t but, on the 27th of May>
1663, the general court " Ordered that the Printing
Presse be at liberty as formerly, till this Court sliali
take further order, and the late order is hereby re-
pealed. "J
After this order was passed, a more free use of
the press seems to have been made ; this imme-
diately arrested the attention of government, and
* College records. Vol. 1.
t Major Daniel Gookin and the rev. Jonathan Mitchell
were the first appointed licensers of the press. [^Ancient
records of the colony.]
^ Ancient records of the colony.
UNITED STATES. 247
soon awakened their fears ; and the following rigid
edict was in consequence passed, viz.
" At a General Court called by order from the
Governour, Deputy Governour, and other Magis-
trates, held at Boston 19th of October 1664. For
the preventing of Irregularyties and abuse to the au-
thority of this Country, by the Printing Presse, it is
ordered by this Court and the authority thereof, that
theeir shall no Printing Presse be allowed in any
Towne within this Jurisdiction, but in Cambridge,
nor shall any person or persons presume to print
any Copie but by the allowance first had and ob-
tayned under the hands of such as this Court shall
from tjme to tjme Impower ; the President of the
CoUedge, Mr. John Shearman, Mr. Jonathan Mitch-
ell and Mr. Thomas Shepheard, or any two of them
to survey such Copie or Coppies and to prohibit
or allow the same according to this order ; and in
case of non observance of this order, to forfeit the
Presse to the Country and be disabled from Vsing
any such profession within this Jurisdiction for the
tjme to Come. Provided this order shall not extend
to the obstruction of any Coppies which this Court
shall Judge meete to order to be published in
Print."*
Government appears not only to have required a
compliance with the above law, but to have exer-
cised a power independent of it. The licensers of
the press had permitted the reprinting of a book
written by Thomas a Kempis, entitled " Imitation
of Christ," &c. a work well known in the Christian
* Ancient MS. records of the colony.
248 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
world. This treatise was represented to the court
by some of its members, in their session in 1667, as
being heretical ; whereupon, the court passed an or-
der, as follows.- — " This Court being infonned that
there is now in the Presse reprinting, a book that Im-
itates of Christ, or to that purpose, written by Thom-
as Kempis, a popish minister, wherein is contayned
some things that are lesse safe to be infused amongst
the people of this place. Doe comend it to the licens-
ers of tlie Presse the more full revisale thereof, and
that in the meane tjme there be no further progresse
in that work."
In 1671, the general court ordered an edition of
the laws, revised, &c. to be printed. Heretofore tlie
laws had been published at the expense of the colony.
John Usher, a wealthy bookseller, who was then, or
soon after, treasurer of the province, made interest
to have the publishing of this edition on his own
account. This circumstance produced the first
instance, in this country, of the security of copy
right by law. Usher contracted with Green to print
the work ; but, suspecting that Green might print
additional copies for himself, or tliat Johnson, who
was permitted to print at Cambridge, would reprint
from his copy — two laws, at the request of Usher,
were passed to secure to him this particular work ;
these laws are copied from the manuscript rec-
ords ; the first was in May, 1672, and is as fol-
lows, viz.
" In answer to the petition of John Vsher, the
Court Judgeth it meete to order, and be it by this
Court ordered and Enacted, That no Printer shall
print any more Coppies than are agreed and paid
UNITED STATES. 249
for by the owner of the Coppie or Coppies, nor
shall he nor any other reprint or make Sale of any of
the same without the said Owner's consent upon
the forfeiture and penalty of treble the whole charge
of Printing and paper, of the whole quantity paid
for by the owner of the Coppie, to the said owner
or his Assigns." ^
When the book was published, Usher, not sat-
isfied with the law already made in his favor, peti-
tioned the court to secure him the copy right for
seven years. In compliance with the prayer of his
petition, the court, in May, 1673, decreed as fol-
lows.
" Jolm Vsher Having been at the Sole Chardge
of the Impression of the booke of Lawes, and pre-
sented the Governour, Magistrates, Secretary, as
also every Deputy, and the Clark of the deputation
witli one. The Court Judgeth it meete to order
that for at least Seven years, Vnlesse he shall have
sold them all before that tjme, there shall be no oth-
er or further Impression made by any person thereof
in this Jurisdiction, under the penalty this court
shall see cause to lay on any that shall adventure in
diat Kind, besides making ffull sattisfaction to the
said Jno Vsher or his Assigns, for his chardge and
damage thereon. Voted by the whole court met
together."
Another edition of the laws of the colony, revised,
was put to the press in 1685. Respecting this edi-
tion, the court " Ordered, for the greater expedi-
tion in the present revisal of the Laws they shall be
sent to the Presse Sheete by Sheete, and the Treas-
urer shall make payment to the Printer for the same,
I 2H
250 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Paper and work ; and Elisha Cook and Samuel
Sewall Esqrs. are desired to oversee the Presse
about that work."
There is among the records of the colony for
1667, one as follows. — " Layd out to Ensign Sam-
uel Green of Cambridge printer three hundi-ed
Acres of land in the wilderness on the north of
Merrimacht River on the west side of Haverhill,
bounded on the north east of two little ponds begin-
ning at a red oak in Haverhill," &c. *' The Court
allowed of the returne of this farme as laid out."
Green continued printing till he became aged.
By the records of the earliest English proprie-
tors of Cambridge it appears, that Green was the
owner of several valuable tracts of land in and about
tliat town.
Green often mentioned to his children, that for
some time after his arrival in Newengland, he, and
several others, were obliged to lodge in large empty
casks, having no other shelter from the iveatlier ;
so few were the huts then erected by our hardy and
venerable ancestors. He had nineteen children ;
eight by his first wife, and eleven by a second, who
was daughter of Mr. Clarke, an elder in the church
in Cambridge, and to whom he was married Feb.
23, 1662.* Nine of the childi'en by the second
wife lived to the age of fifty two years, or upwards.
The Cambridge company of militia elected
Green to be their captain ; and, as such, he bore a
commission for thirty yeai"s. He took great pleas-
vire in military exercises ; and, when he became.
* Middlesex records of marrlatjcs and deaths. Vol. 3.
I
UNITED STATES. 251
through age, too infirm to walk to the field, he in-
sisted on being carried there in his chair, on days of
muster, that he might review and exercise his com-
pany.*
He was for many years chosen town clerk.
And, in the Middlesex records, vol. 1, is the fol-
lowing particular, viz.
" At a County Court held at Cambridge the
5th 8th month 1652, Samuel Green is alowed
Clearke of the Writtsfor Cambridge."
Green was a pious and benevolent man, and as
such was greatly esteemed. He died, at Cambridge,
January 1st, 1702, aged eighty seven years.
Until the commencement of the revolution in
1775, Boston was not witliout one or more printers
by the name of Green. These all descended from
Green of Cambridge. Some of his descendants
have, for nearly a century past, been printers in
Connecticut. One of them, in 1740, removed to
Annapolis, and established the Mar}'^land Gazette ;
which is still continued by the family.
No printing was done at Cambridge after Green's
death. The press was established in this place sixty
years ; and, about fifty of them, Green, under gov-
ernment, was the manager of it. He was printer to
the college as long as he continued in business.
Soon after his decease, the printing materials
were removed from Cambridge and, probably, sold.
It does not appear, that the corporation of the col-
lege o^vned any types after this time, till about the
year 1718, when mr. Thomas Hollis, of London, a
great benefactor to the college, among other gifts
* Boston News-Letter, Jan. 1733.
252 HISTORY or printing.
presented to the university, a fount, or cast, of He-
brew, and another of Greek types, both of them
were of the size of long primer. The Greek was not
used till 1761, when the government of the college
had a work printed entitled, Pietas et Gratulatio
CoUegii Cantabrigiensis apud Novanglosy dedicated
to king George the third, on his accession to the
throne ; two of these poetical essays being written
in Greek, called these types into use. They were
never used but at that time, and were, in January,
1764, destroyed by the fire that consumed Hai'vard
hall, one of tlie college buildings, in which the types
and college library, were deposited ; the cast of He-
brew escaped, having been sent to Boston some
time before, to print professor Sewall's Hebrew
Grammar.
The following is a catalogue of the books that I
have ascertamed were printed by Green, and by
Green and Johnson ; the greater part of them I Iiave
seen. Tliose in which Marmaduke Johnson was
concerned, have the names of the printers added.
Catalogue of Books printed by Green.
1649. "A Platform of Church Discipline gathered out
of the word of God : and agreed upon by the Elders ; and
Messengers of the Churches assembled in the Synod at Cam-
bridge in New England to be presented to the Churches and
Generall Court for their consideration and acceptance, in the
Lord. The Eight Moneth Anno 1649. Printed by 5 G at
Cambridge in New England and are to be Sold ajt Cambridge
and Boston Anno Dom: 1649." Quarto, of pot size, 44 pages.
[This book appears to be printed by one -who was but little
aqqu'^inted with the typographic art ; it is a further proof that.
UNITED STATES. 253
Green was not bred to it ; and, that this was one of the first
books from the press, after he began printing.
The type is new pica, or one but little worn ; the press
work is very bad, and that of the case no better. The punctua-
tion in the title is exactly copied ; the compositor did not seem
to know the use of points ; there are spaces before commas,
periods, parentheses, &c. The head of " The Preface" is in
two lines of large capitals, but has no point after it — nor is
there any after " FINIS" which word is in two line capitals
at the end of the book. The pages of the Preface have a run-
ning title J with the folio, or number of the pages, in brack-
ets immediately following in the centre of a line, thus,
The Preface [2]
The printer did not appear to have had any acquaint-
ance with signatures. The book is printed and folded in
whole sheets, without insets ; the title page is printed sepa-
rately ; in the first sheet, at the bottom of the first page, is
« ^a," third page " ./fac," fifth page " Aaa" seventh page
" Aaaa." The second sheet has the signature A at the bot-
tom of the first page of that sheet ; " A a," third page ;" A a a,"
fifth page ; and, " Aaaa," seventh page. The third sheet be-
gins with B, which, with the following sheets, have as many
signatures to each as the first and second ; but all, excepting
those on the first and third pages of a sheet, were uncommon,
and have not any apparent meaning. Every part of the work
shews the want of common skill in the compositor. Facs, and
ornamented large capitals cut on wood, are used at the begin-
ning of the preface, and at the first chapter of the work. A head
piece of flowers is placed at the beginning of the text, and aline
of flowers between each chapter. In the book are many ref-
erences to scripture, in marginal notes, on brevier. Letters
of abbreviation are frequently used — such as comend, allow-
Tice, compay, acquaTt, fro, oflFece, oflfedcd, partakig, cofession,
Sec. The spelling is very ancient, as els, forme, vpon, owne,
•wildernes, powr, eyther, wee, acknowledg, minde, doctrin,
therin, wherin, himselfe, patrone, choyce, sovaraigne, sinne,
satisfie, grcife, &c. As I believe this book to be one of the
first printed by Green, I have been thus particular in djescrib-
'254 HISTORY OF PRIN-TING.
ing it ; soon after this period his printing was much improved.]
[The Platform, Sec. was reprinted in London, in 1653, fov
*'^ Peter Cole, at the Sign of the Printing Press, in Combill,
neai- the Royal Exchange."]
1 650. Norton's [John] Heai't of New England rei\t at the
Blasphemies of the present Generation. 4to. 58 pages.
1650. The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the
Old and New Testament, faithfully translated into English
Metre, For the Use, Edification and Comfort of the Saints in
publick and private, especially in New England. 2 Tim. 3 :
16, ir. Col. 3: 16. Eph. 5: 18, 19. James 5: 13." Crown
8vo. 308 pag^es. [This was the Newengland version of the
Psalms, rcA^sed and improved by president Duuster and Rich-
ard Lyon, mentioned by tlie rev, Thomas Prince.]
1653. Eliot's [John] Catechism. [In the Indian lan-
guage. Printed at the expense of the corporation in England
for propagating the gospel among the Indians in Newengland.]
1656. An Almanack for the year of our Lord 1656. By
T. S. Philomathemat. Foolscap. 8vo. 16 pages. [This Al-
manack I own. It appears that an Almanack was annually
printed at Cambridge, from the first establishment of the press,
till near the close of the 1 7th century. Many of them I have
seen, and those I shall more particularly take notice of.]
1657. An Almanack fur the year of our Lord 1657* By
S. B. Philomathemat. Foolscap. 8vo. 16 pages. [I have a
copy of this.]
1657. Mathci^'s [Richard] Farewell Exhortation to the
Church and People of Dorchester, in New England. "Print-
ed at Cambridge." 4to. 28 pages.
1658. Pierson's Catechism. [In the Indian language,
for the use of the Indians in Newhaven jurisdiction.]
1659. Version of the Psalms in the Indian Language.
1661. The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Je-
sus Christ, Translated into the Indian Language and ordered
to be printed by the Commissioners of the United Colonies in
New England, at the Charge and with the Consent of the Cor-
poration in England, for the Propagation of the Gospel amongst
the Indians in New England. The Indian title is thus, Wus-
ku Wuttestamentum Nul-Lordumun Jesus Christ Nuppo-
UNITED STATES. 25S
quohwussuaeneumun. With marginal notes. Printed by
Samuel Green and Marmaduke Johnson. The whole in the
Indian language, except having tAvo title pages, one of which
is in English. Quarto. [Xr] [Some copies were dedicated
to the king.]
1661. Eliot's [John] Catechism. [In the Indian lan-
guage.] Second edition. [1000 copies were printed.]
1661. The Psalms of David in Indian Vei-se, entitled,
Wame Ketoohomae Uketoohomaongash David. 4to. [Tliis
Indian version accompanied the New Testament, and when
the Old Testament was finished they were bound up togetlier.]
1662. Propositions to the Elders and otlier Messengei-s
of the Churches, concerning Baptisme. Recommended by
the General Court. 4to. 48 pages.
1662. Answer of the Elders and other Messengers of the
Churches assembled at Boston 1662, to the Questions propos-
ed to them by order of the Honoured General Court. 4to.
60. pages.
1662, An Almanack For 1662. [Title page lost.]
1662. Anti-Synodalia Scripta Americana. By John AI-
linofDedham. 4to. 38 pages. [No printer's name nor year
are mentioned. This was reprinted in London.]
1663. The Holy Bible: Containing the Old Testament
and the New. Translated into the Indian Language, and or-
dered to be printed by the Commissioners of the United Col-
onies in JVeno England^ at the Charge and with the Consent
of the Corfioration in England for the Profiagation oi the Gos-
fiel atnongst the Indians in New England. [/] Quarto. Print-
ed by Samuel Green and Marmaduke Johnson. It had mar-
ginal notes ; and also an Indian title page, for which see the
second edition in 1685. [This work was printed with new
types, full faced bourgeois on brevier body, cast for the pur-
pose, and on good paper. The New Testament which was
first printed in 1661, was on the same types and like paper.
The Old Testament was three years in the press. I have a
copy of the Old and New Testament, with the Version of the
Psalms, complete. It is a great typographical curiosity. A
dedication, see note [-t] to king Charles II, was prefixed to a
number of copies. ]
256 HISTORY OF PRINTJNG.
1663. An Almanack for 1663. By Israel Chauncey.
0^^o,tta9J^J. Printed by S. Green and M. Johnson,
1663. Davenport's [John, of New Haven] Another Essay
for mvestigation of the Truth in answer to two Questions con-
cerning;, I. The subject of Baptisme. II. The Consociation
of Churches. Cambridge. Printed by Samuel Green and
Marmaduke Johnson, 4to. 82 pages.
1663. Shepard's Church Membership. 4to. 50 pages.
1663. Shepard's Letter on the Church Membership of
Children and their Right to Baptisme. Prmted by S. Green
and M. Johnson.
. Certain Positions out of the Holy Scriptures, pre-
missed to the whole ensuing Discourse. Printed at Cam-
bridge. 4to. 80 pages. [Year and printer's name not men-
tioned.]
1663. Cotton's [John] Discourse ©n Civil Government
in a New Plantation. 4to. 24 pages. Printed by S. Green
and M. Johnson.
1663. Higginson's [John] Cause of God and his People
in New England. An Election Sermon at Boston, 1663.
4to. 28 pages.
1664. Shepard's Sincere Convert; 12mo.
166.4. Allm's [John, of Dedham] Anti-Synodalia Amer-
icana. 4to. 100 pages. Second edition. Reprinted at Cam-
bridge by S. G. & M. J. for Hezekiah Usher of Boston.
1664. Animadversions upon the Anti- Synodal ia Amer-
icana, a Treatise printed in Old England in the Name of the
Dissenting Brethren in the Synod held at Boston in Neweng-
land 1662, and written by John AUin, Pastor of the Church in
Dedham. 4to. 86 pages. Printed by S. Green and M. John-
son.
1664. Defence of the Answers and Arguments of the
Synod met at Boston in the yeare 1662. 4to. 150 pages.
Printed by S. Green £c M. Johnson, for Hezekiah Usher of
Boston.
1664. Defence of the Synod by some of the Elders. 48
pages, small type. Printed by S. G. 6c M. J. for Hezekiah
Usher of Boston.
tJNITED STATES. 257
1664. Baxter's Call to the Unconverted. Translated
into the Indian Language by the Rev. John Eliot. Small 8voi
130 pages. [1000 copies wei-e printed.]
1664. The Psalter. Translated into the Indian Lan-
guage by the Rev. John Eliot. Small 8vo. 150 pages. [500
copies were printed.]
1664, Indian Grammar. About 60 pages. 4to. [No
year is mentioned, as I find is often the case with other print-
ers besides Green, but it must have been printed about 1664.]
1664. Whiting's [Samuel] Discourse on the Last Judg-
ment. 12mo. 170 pages. Printed by 5. G. and M. J.
1664. Chauncey's [Israel] Almanack for 1664. Printed
by S. Green and M. Johnson.
1665. Nowell's [Alexander] Almanack for 1665.
1665. Collection of the Testimonies of the Fathers of the
New England Churches respecting Baptism. 4to. 32 pages.
The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the
Old and New Testament, Faithfully Translated into English
Metre. For the Use, Edification and Comfort of the Saints
in publick and private, especially in New England. Small
12mo. 100 pages, two columns to each, in nonpareil. " Cam-
bridge. Printed for Hezekiah Usher of Boston."
[This was, I believe, the third edition of the Newengland
Version of the Psalms after it had been revised and improved
by president Dunster, Sec. and the fifth, including all the
former editions, [m] I have a complete copy of this edition,
but the name of the printer, and the year in which it was print-
ed, are not mentioned. It is calculated by being printed in a
^mall page, with a very small type, to bind up with English
editions of the pocket Bible ; and, as the printing is executed
by a good workman, and is the best that I have seen from the
Cambridge press, I conclude, therefore, it covildnot be printed
by Green before the arrival of Marmaduke Johnson in 1 660 ; I
have no doubt it was printed under Johnson's care ; and, prob-
ably, soon after the Indian Bible came from the press in 1663,
Johnson was a good printer, and so called by the corporation
in England, who engaged, and sent him over, to assist
Green in printing that work. Although in this editioix the
I 2 X
258 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
typography far exceeds in neatness any work tlien printed in
the country, itis verjancorrect ; but this mighthave been more
the fault of the corrector of the press, than of the printer. My
belief that it waspublished about the year 1664, or 1665, is con-
firmed by its being printed forHezekiah Usher, the only book-
seller that lean find an account of at that time, in Newengland.
He dealt largely in merchandise, and was then agent to the
corporation in England, for propagating the gospel in New-
england. It is a curious fact, that nonpareil types were used
so early in this country ; I have not seen them in any other
book printed either at Cambridge, or Boston, before the rev-
olution ; even brevier types had been but seldom used in the
printing houses, in Boston, earlier than 1760, The nonpareil
used for the Psalms was new, and a very handsome faced letter.]
1665. The Conditions for New Planters in the Territo-
ries* of his Royal Highness the Duke of York. Printed dt
Cambridge, on the face of half a sheet.
1665. Practice of Piety, [Translated into the Indian
language.] Small 8vo. about 160 pages,
1666. Whiting's, [Samuel, of Lynn] Meditations upon
Genesis xviii, from ver. 23 to the end of the chapter. 12mo,
350 pages. " Printed and Sold at Cambridge." [No printer's
name, but undoubtedly from Green's press.]
1666. Flint's [Josiah] Almanack for 1666. 4>»?M>/>ta3»jf,
after Flint's name. " Printed Anno Dom. 1666."
1667. Mitchell's [Jonathan] Nehemiah upon the Wall.
An Election Sermon, May 1667. " Printed at Cambridge"
[No printer's name.]
1 667, Practice of Piety. Translated into the Indian lan-
guage, by the Rev. John Eliot. Second edition.
1667. Beakenbury's [Samuel] Almanack for 1667.
1668. Dudley's [Joseph] Almanack for 1668.
1 668. Elegy on the Rev. Thomas Shcpard, Pastor of the
Church in Charlestown. By Urian Oakes. 4to.
1669. Moreton's [Nathaniel] New England's Memorial.
2 1 6 pages, 4to. Printed by 5. G. Sc M. J. for John Usher of
Boston,
Newyork.
!
UNITED STATES. 259
1669. An Almanack for 1669. By J. B. Printed by
*. G. & M. J.
1670. Danforth's Election Sermon at Boston, 1670. 4to.
34 pages. Printed by S. Green and M, Johnson.
1670. Stoughton's [William] Election Sermon, 1670.
4to.
1670. An Almanack for 1670. By J. R. Printed by
S. G. & M. J.
1 670. Life and Death of that Reverend Man of God, Mr.
Richard Mather, Teacher of the Church in Dorchester, New-
England. 4to. 42 pages. Pi'inted by S, Green and M. John-
son.
1670. Walley's [Thomas, of Boston] Balm of Gilead to
heal Sion's Wounds. An Election Sennon, preached at New-
Plimouth, 1669. 20 pages. 4to. Printed by S. Green and
M, Johnson.
1670. Mather's [Samuel] Testimony from the Scripture
against Idolatry and Superstition, preached in Dublin 1660.
4to. 80 pages. [No printer's name] " Reprinted at Cam-
bridge."
1 67 1 . Mather's [Eleazar, of Northampton] Exhortation
to the present and succeeding Generations. 4to, 32 pages.
Printed by S. G. & M. J.
1 67 1 . An Almanack for 1671. [Title page lost.]
1672. An Artillery Election Sei-mon 1672. By the Rev,.
Urian Oakes. 4to.
1672. Mather's [Increase] Word to the present and
succeeding Generations of New England. 4to. 36 pages.
1 672. Eye Salve, or a Watch Word from our Lord Jesus
Christ unto his Churches, especially in the Colony of Massa-
chusetts, An Election Sermon preached at Boston 1672,
By Thomas Shepard, of Charlestown. 4to. 5 6 pages.
1 672 . Allin's [John, of Dedham] Spouse of Christ com-
ing out of Affliction, leaning upon her Beloved. 4to. 32
pages. " Prmted at Cambridge by Samuel Green, and are to
be Sold by John Tappan of Boston."
1 672. The General Laws and Liberties of the Massachu-
setts Colony, Revised and alphabetically arranged. To which
260 HISTORY or PRINTING.
are added, "Precedents and Forms of things frequently used."
With a complete index to the whole. Re-printed by order of
the General Court Holden at Boston, May 15,1 672 . Edward
Rawson, Seer. Whosoever therefore resisteth the Power., re-
sisteth the Ordinance of God ; and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation. Rom. xiii. 2. Folio. 200 pages,
[Well printed. There is a small wooden cut of the colony
arms as a frontispiece opposite to the title page, indifferently-
executed, and a large handsome head piece cut on wood at
the beginning' of the first page of the laws. Printed by S.
Green, for John Usher of Boston.]
1 672. The Book of the General Laws of the Inhabitants
of New Plimouth, collected out of the Records of the General
Court. Published by the Authority of the General Court of
that Jurisdiction, held at Plimouth the 6th day of June 1671.
The following text of scripture is in the title page — Be subject
to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake. 1 Pet. ii. 13.
Folio. 50 pages.
1672. Indian Logic Primer. By John Eliot.
1672. Several " Laws and Orders" made at the General
Court at Boston, 1672. 8 pages. Folio.
1673. The Book of the General Laws for the People
within the Jurisdiction of Connecticut. Collected out of tlie
Records of the General Court. Lately revised and published
by the Authority of the General Court of Connecticut, 1672.
Has a text from sci'ipture in the title page, viz. — Let us walk
honestly as in the Day, not iii Rioting aytd Drunkemiess ; not in
Chambering and Wantonness ; not in Strife and Envying. Rom.
xiii. 13. [There is a small wooden cut of the arms of Con-
necticut in the title page. The arms are fifteen grape vines,
with a hand over tliem holding a scroll, on which is this mottq
—Sustinet qui transtulit. Folio. 76 pages.
1673. New England Pleaded with, and pressed to Con-
sider the Things which concern her Peace. An Election
Sermon 1673. By Urian Oakes. 4to. 64 pages.
1674. The Unconquerable, All-Conquering, and more
than Conquering vSouldier, or the Successful Warre which a
Believer wageth with the Enemies of his Soul. An Artillery
I
UNITED STATES. 261
Election Sfermon, June, 1672. By Urian Oakes. 4to. 46
pages.
1 674. David Serving his Generation. An Election Ser-
mon before the General Court of New Plimouth, June 1 674.
By Samuel Arnold of Marshfield. 4to. 24 pages. Imlirima'
tur John Oxenbridge and Increase Mather.
1 674. Several " Laws and Orders," made at the General
Court at Boston, 1 674. 4 pages. Folio.
1674. Moody's [Joshua] Souldiers Spix'itualized, or tlie
Christian Souldier orderly and Strenuously engaged in the
Spiritual Warre, and so fighting the Good Fight. A Ser-
mon preached at Boston on Artillery Election 1 674. 4to. 48
pages.
1674. Fitch's [James, of Norwich] Holy Connexion.
An Election Sermon at Hartford, Connecticut, 1674. 4to.
24 pages.
1 675 . Several " Laws and Orders" made at tjie Sessions
of the General Court at Boston in 1675. Folio. 20 pages.
1675. Mather's [Increase] First Principles of New Eng-
land concerning the subject of Baptisme and Church Com-
munion. 4to. 56 pages.
1675. Mather's [Increase] Discourse concerning the
Sijibject of Baptisme. 4to. 8.2 pages.
1676. Heart Garrisoned ; or the Wisdome and Care of
the Spiritual Souldier above all Things to Safeguard his Heart.
An Artillery Election Sermon. By Samuel Willard. 4to.
24 pages.
1 677. Several " Laws and Orders," made at the first Ses-
sion of the General Court for Elections 1677, at Boston,
Folio. 4 pages.
1679. An Almanack for 1679. By Philomath.
1682. Narrative of the Captivity and Restouration of Mrs.
Mary Roulandson. Svo.
1682. Oakes's [Urian] Fast Sermon, delivered at Cam*
bridge. 4to. 32 pages.
1682. Ornaments for the Daughters of Zion ; or the
Character and Happiness of a Virtuous Woman. By Cotton
262' HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Mather. !2mo. 116 pages. Printed by 5. G. & J5. G. for
Samuel Phillips of Boston.
1684. An Almanack for 1684.
1684. Dennison's [Daniel] Irenicon; or a Salve for New
England's Sore. 8vo. 50 pages.
1685. The New England Almanack for 1 68 6. « Printed
at Cambridge by Samuel Green, sen. Printer to Harvard Col.
A. D. 1685."
1685. The Holy Bible, containing the Old Testament
and the New. Translated into the Indian Language, and or-
dered to be planted by the Commissioners of the United Colo-
nies in New England, &c. This was a second edition of Eliot's
Indian Bible ; and, like the first, it had marginal notes, and an
Indian translation of the Newengland Version of the Psalms.
The rev. mr. Cotton, a great proficient in the Indian language,
assisted mr. Eliot in revising and correcting this edition. Both
editions had title pages in English and Indian. The title in
the Indian language, is as follows, Mamusse Wunneetupana-
tamwe Up-Biblum God naneeswe Nukkone-Testament kah
wonk Wusku Testament. Nequoshinnumuk nashpe Wut-
tinneumak Christ noh asoowesit John Eliot. Nahohtoeu onte-
hetoe Printewoomuk. Cambridge : Printeuoop nashpe Sam-
uel Green. 4to. It was six years in the press. Two thousand
copies were printed.* It was not so expensive as the first
edition. Mr, Eliot had thQ management of it ; and, in his let-
ters to the hon. Robert Boyle, president of the corporation for
propagating the gospel among the Indians in Newengland, he
acknowledges the reception of 9001. sterling, in three pay-
ments, for carrying it through the press.
1685. Manitowampae pomantamoonk samploshanau
Christianoh. 12mo.
1686. The New England Almanack for 1 686.
1687. Practice of Piety. [Translated into the Indian
language . ] Third edition .
* Letter from the rev. Jchn Eliot to the hon. Robert Boyle in London.
Mr, Eliot gave a part of his salary toward printing the work. It went to
the press in the beginning of the year 1680, and waj not completed till the
beginning of t686, Mr. Eliot lived till 1690.
■ i
UNITED STATES. 263
1687. Eliot's Catechism. [In the Indian language.'
This was a third or fourth edition printed at the expense of
the corporation.]
1687. Primer, in the Indian Language. [It had gone
through several previous editions at the expense of the corpo-
ration.]
1689. Sampwutteahae Quinnuppekompauaenin, Wahu-
Womook oggussemesuog Sampvmtteabae Wunnamptamwae-
nuog, &c. Noh asoowesit Thomas Shephard. This is Shep-
ard's Sincere Convert, translated into Indian by the rev. John
Eliot, and was licensed to be printed by Grindal Rawson.
12mo. 164 pages.
1691. An Almanack. By John Tully. "Cambridge.
Printed by Samuel Green and B. Green, and are to be sold
by Nicholas Buttolph at Gutteridge's Coffee House, in Bosr
ton, 1691."
1691. Nashauanittue Meninnunk wutch Mukkiesog
Wassesemumun wutch Sogkodtunganash Naneeswe Testa-
inentsash; wutch Ukkesitchippooonganoo Ukketeahogkou-
nooh. Noh asoowesit John Cotton. [This is John Cotton's
Spiritual Milk for American Babes. Translated by Grindal
Rawson.] 12mo. 14 pages. [See old editions of the New-
England Primer.] Printeuoop nashpe Samuel Green kah Bar-
tholomenv Green.
1691. Ornaments for the Daughters of Zion; or the
Character and Happiness of a Virtuous Woman. By Cotton
Mather. 12mo. 114 pages. Re-Printed by Samuel Green
and Bartholomew Green for Nicholas Buttolph, at Gutter-
idge's Coffee House, Boston.
1691. Things to be looked for. An Election Sermon.
By Cotton Mather. 12mo. 84 pages. Reprinted by Samuel
Green and Bartholomew Green.
1692. Tully 's Almanack for 1692. Printed by Samuel
Green and Bartholomew Green for Samuel Phillips of Boston.
264 HISTORY or printing.
MARMADUKE JOHNSON.
Johnson was an Englishman; and had been
bred to the printing business in London. The
corporation in England, for propagating the gospel
among the Indians, engaged, and sent him over to
America, in 1660, to assist in printing the Bible in
Indian.
In a letter dated, " Cooper's Hall in London,
April 28th, 1660," and directed to the commission-
ers of the united colonies, who had the whole man-
agement of Indian affairs, the corporation writes,
" Wee haue out of our desire to further a worke of
soe great consernment, [printing the whole bible in
the Indian language] agreed with an able printer for
three yeares vpon the tearmes and conditions en-
closed.— Wee desire you at the earnest request of
Mr. Johnson, the printer and for his incurrage-
ment in this undertaking of printing the bible in the
Indian language, his name may bee mentioned with
others as a printer and person that hath bine instru-
mental! therin ; for whose diet, lodging and wash-
ing wee desire you to take care of."
The commissioners in their answer to the cor-
poration, dated " Newhauen the 10th of September,
1660," observe, " Such order is taken by the ad-
uice of Mr. Eliott Mr. Vsher Mr. Green and Mr.
Johnson that the Impression of the ould and New
Testament shalbee carry ed on together wliich they
i
tJNITED STATES.
265
have alredy begun and Resolue to prosecute with
all diligence ; a sheet of Geneses M^ee have seen
which wee have ordered shalbee Transmitted vnto
you ; the printers doubte not but to print a sheete
euery weeke and compute tlie whole to amount to a
hundred and fifty sheets. Mr. Johnson wilbee
gratifyed with the honour of the Impression and
acomodated in other respects wee hope to content."
The commissioners this year, charged the cor-
poration with 11. 4 s. paid for " the expenses of
Johnson the printer att his first arrivall before he
settled at Cambridge."
In a letter dated, " Boston Sept. 10th, 1662,"
and addressed to the hon. Robert Boyle, governor
of the corporation in England, the commissioners
of the united colonies observe, " The bible is now
about halfe done ; and constant progresse therin is
made ; the other halfe is like to bee finished in a yeare ;
the future charge is vncertain ; wee have heer with
sent twenty coppies of the New Testament [in In-
dian] to bee disposed of as youer honors shall see
meet. The trust youer honors hath seen meet to re-
pose in vs for the manageing of this worke we shall
endeauor in all faithfulness to dischai'ge. Wee craue
leave att present for the preuenting of an objectioa
that may arise concerning the particulars charged
or the printing wherin you will find 2 sheets att
three pounds ten shillings a sheet, and the rest butt
att 50 shillings a sheet, the reason wherof lyes heer :
It pleased the honored corporation to send ouer one
Marmeduke Johnson a printer to attend the worke
on condition as they will enforme you ; whoe hath
caryed heer very vnworthyly of which hee hath biae
I 2K
HISTORY OP PRINTING.
openly Convicted and sencured in some of our
Courts although as yett noe execution of sentence
against him ; peculiare fauor haueing bine showed
him with respect to the coi-poration that sent him
ouer ; but notwithstanding all patience and lenitie
vsed towards him hee hath proued uery idle and
nought and absented himselfe from the worke more
than halfe a yeai-e att one time ; for want of whose
assistance the printer [Green] by his agreement with
vs was to haue the allowance of 21 lb. the which is
to bee defallcated out of his sallery in England by
the honored Corporation there."
The commissioners, in this letter to the corpo-
ration, mentioned some bad conduct of Johnson, of
which he was convicted, but they do not particular-
ize his offence. I find in the records of the " county
court," of Middlesex, for 1662, that, in April of that
year, Johnson was indicted for " alluring the daugh-
ter of Samuel Green, printer, and drawing away her
affection without the consent of her father ;" this
was" a direct breach of a law of the colony. Johnson
was convicted, fined five pounds for diat offence ;
and, having a wife in England, was ordered " to go
home to her," on penalty of twenty pounds fc«-
nesrlectina: so to do. At the same court Johnson
was fined twenty pounds, for threatening the life of
any man who should pay his addresses to Green's
daughter. In October 1663, Johnson, not having
left the countrj^, agreeably to his sentence, was fined "
twenty pounds, and ordered *' to be committed till
he gave security that he would depart home to Eng-
land to his wife the first opportunity." Samuel Goffe
and John Bernard were his sureties that he should
UNITED STATES.
S6f
depart tlie country witliin six weeks, or in a vessel
then bound to England. Johnson, however, for
some cause that cannot be ascertained, [the records
of the next county court being destroyed by fire]
was permitted to remain in the country. His wife
might have died ; he had influential friends ; and
made his peace with Green, with whom he was af-
terwards concerned in printing several books.
The commissioners received an answer to the
letter last mentioned from the governor of the cor-
poration, dated " London April 9th, 1663," at tlie
close of which the governor remarks, " Conseming
Marmeduke Johnson the printer wee are sorry hee
hath soe miscarryed by which meanes the printing
of the bible hath bin retarded we are resolved to de-
fault the 21 lb. you mention out of his sallary. Mr.
Elliott whose letter beares date tliree monthes after
youers, writes that Johnson is againe Returned in-
to the worke whose brother alsoe hath bine with vs
and gives vs great assurance of his brothers Refor-
mation and following his bu sines diligently for the
time to come ; and hee being (as Mr. Elliott Avrites)
an able and vsefull man in the presse we haue thought
fitt further to make tryall of him for one yeare long-
er and the rather because vpon Mr. Elliotts motion
and the goodnes of the worke ; wee have thought
fitt and ordered that the Psalmes of Dauid in meter
shallbee printed in the Indian language, and soe wee
hope that the said Johnson performing his promise
of amendment for time to come may bee vsefull in
the furthering of this worke which we soe much de-
sire the finishing of : We haue no more but corn-
end you to the Lord, Signed in tlie name and by
26B HISTORY OF PRINTING.
the appointment of the Corporation for the propa-
gating of the Gospell in America.
Per Robert Boyle Gouemor.'*
The commissioners '^vrote from Boston, Sept.
18th 1663, to the corporation, as was their annual
custom, rendering a particular account of their con-
cerns, and of the expenditures of the money of the
corporation. Respecting Johnson, they observe,
" Some time after our last letter Marmeduke John-
son Returned to the Presse and hadi carried him-
selfe Indifferently well since soe farr as wee know but
the bible being finished and little other worke pre-
senting; wee dismised him att the end of the tearme
you had contracted with him for; but vnderstanding
youer honorable Corporation hath agreed with him
for another yeai'e ; wee shall Indeavour to Imploy
him as wee can by printing the Psalmes and another
little Treatise of Mr. Baxters which Mr. Elliott is
translating into the Indian language which is thought
may bee vsefull and profitable to the Indians ; and yett
there will not bee full Imployment for him ; and for
after times our owne printer wilbee sufficiently able
to print of any other worke that wilbee ncssesary for
theire vse soe that att the yeares end hee may be dis-
mised ; or sooner if hee please : and If there bee
occation further to Imploy him It were much bet-
ter to contract with him heer to print by the sheete
than by allowing him standing wages : Wee were
forced vpon his earnest Request to lett him fiue
pounds in parte of his M'^ages to supply his present
nessesitie which must bee defaulted by youer honors
with his brother : his last yeare by agi'eement with
him begineth the 20th of August last from the end
UNITED STATES. 269
of his former contract till that time hee was out of
this Imployment and followed his own occacions."
The corporation in their next letter to the com-
missioners write, " concerning Marmeduke John-
son the printer whose Demeanor hath not been suit-
able to what hee promised wee shall leave him to
youerselues to dismisse him as soone as his yeare is
expired if you soe think fit."
The next meeting of the Commissioners was at
Hartford, September 1, 1664 ; they then informed
the corporation in England, that they had " dis-
mised Marmeduke Johnson the Printer att the end
of his tearme agreed for hauing Improued him as
well as wee could for the yeare past by imploying
him with our owne printer to print such Indian
workes as could be prepared which hee was not
able to doe alone with such other English Trea-
tises which did present ; for which allowance hath
bine made proportionable to his laboure ; somo
time hath bine lost for want of imployment but for
after times wee hope to haue all books for the In-
dians vse printed vpon ezier tearmes by our owne
printer especially if it please youer honers to send
ouer a fonte of Pica letters Roman and Italian
which are much wanting for printeing the practice
of piety and other workes ; and soe when the
Presses shallbee Improued for the vse of the Eng-
lish wee shalbe carefull that due alowance be made
to the Stocke for the same ; It seemed Mr. John-
son ordered all his Sallery to be receiued and dis-
posed of in England which hath put him to some
straightes heer which forced vs to allow him fine
pounds formerly (as we Intimated in our last) and
S70 tflSTOHY OF PRINTING,
since hee hatli taken vp the sume of four pound all
which is to be accoumpted as parte of his Sahery
ftM* the last yeare ; tlie remainder v^^herof wee <ioubt
«ot youer honors will satisfy there."
Before the Bible was finished, Johnson being in
great want of money, applied to the commissioners
o£ the United Colonies, to pay him his wages here
instead of receiving them, agreeably to contract, in
England. Upon which the commissioners " or-
dered in Answai'e to the request of Marmeduke
Johnson for payment of liis wages heer in New
England ; notwithstanding his couenant with the
Corporation to receiue the same in England which
hee sayeth is detained from him ; which yett not ap-
peering to the comis&ioners they could not giue any
order for the payment of it heer ; but vpon his
earnest request that there might bee some Impow-
ered to relieue him in case it could appeer before
the next meeting of the Comissioners that noe pay-
ment was made to him in England the Comission-
ers of the Massachusetts Collonie is Impowered to
act therein according to theire Discretion."
The rev. mr. Ehot,* who translated the Bible
into the Indian language, appears to have been yery
friendly to Johnson. After he was dismissed from
employment at the press of the corporation, mr. El-
iot proposed to the commissioners in September,
1667, that Johnson sliould have " the font of letters
[types] which the Corporation sent over for their
vse by him, when he came from England," and
• Mr. Eliot was by some stiled " Apostolus nostrorum
Temporum inter Indos Nov Angliae." He died 1 690, aged 86.
UNITED STATES. 271
which had been but little worn, at tlie price they
cost in England, which was 31 1. 17 s, 8 d. steiiing;
to which proposal the commissioners assented.
These types he received in pait payment of hia
salary.
In 1670, April 28th, Johnson being released
by death or divorce, from his wife, in England,
married Ruth Cane of Cambridge, which is re*
corded in the Register of the town for that year.
In September 1672, the commissioners ordered
their agent, Hezekiah Usher, to pay Johnson 6 1.
" for printing, stitching and cutting of a thousand
Indian Logick Primers." This is the last business
I can find performed by Johnson for the corporation.
Johnson's name appeared after Green's in the
imprint of the first edition of the Indian translation
of the Old and New Testament ; and, to several
other books which were not printed for die corpo-
ration for propagating the gospel among the Indians.
It is not probable that they had any regular partner-
ship, but printed a book, in connexion, when con-
venient.
I have seen no book with Johnson's name in the
imprint after 1674.
He was " constable of Cambridge" in 1673,
andperliaps some years preceding. In April, 1674,
the county court allowed himr " his bill of costs,
amounting to three sliillings ; and ten shillings and
six pence for journeys that were by law to be paid
by the county treasurer." It appears that he was
poor, and rather indolent. He died in 1675, and
his wife departed this life soon after him.
272 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
The following is an extract from the Middlesex
records.* " At a County Court held at Charles-
towne June 19, 1677. — Mr. John Hayward Attor-
ney in behalfe of the Commissioners of the United
Coloneys pl'fF against Jonathan Cane, Executor to
the last will and testament of Ruth Johnson adminis-
tratrix to the estate of her husband Marmaduke John-
son deceased, in an action of the case for deteyning
a font of Letters, bought by the said Johnson with
money y'- he received for y^" end and use of y*"*
Honourable Corporation in London constituted by
his Majestic for propagating of the gospell to the
Indians in New England, and also for deteyning a
Printers chase, and other implements that belong to
a Printing Presse, and is apperteyning to the said
Indian Stocke according to attachmt. dated 8, 4, 77.
Both paities appeared & joyned issue in the case.
The Jury having heard their respective pleas & evi-
dences in the case, brought in their verdict, finding
for the pl've that the Defdt. shall deliver the wt. of
Letters expressed in the attachment, with other ma-
terials expressed in the attachment, or the value
thereof in money, which wee find to be forty
pounds, with costs of court. The Defdt. made his
appeale to the next Court of Assistants."
Beside the books printed by Green and him,
which appear in Green's catalogue, I find the fol-
lowing printed solely by Johnson, viz.
*Vol.iii. p. 176.
UNITED STATES. 275
Catalogue of Books printed by Johnson.
1665. Communion of Churches; or, the Divine Manage^
luent of Gosp-el Churches by the Ordinance of Councils, consti-
tuted in Order, according to the Scriptures. As also the Wajf
of bringing all Christian Parishes to be particular reforming
Congregational Churches : humbly proposed as a Way which
hath so muche light from the Scriptures of Tx'uth, as that it
may be lawfully submitted unto by all ; and may by the Bless-
ing of the Lord be a means of uniteing those two Holy and
eminent Parties^ the Presbyterians and the Congregational-
ists^—As also to prepare for the hoped-for Resurrection of the
Churches ; and to propose a Way to bring all Christian Na-
tions unto an Unity of tlie Faith and Order of the Gospel.
Written by John ^Uct^ Teacher of Boxbury in N. E. Crown
8vo. 38 pages. The following is the Preface to the work.
" Although a few copies of this small script are printed,
yet it is not published, only committed privately to some godly
and able hands to be vicM'ed, corrected, amended, or rejected,
as it shall be found to hold weight in the sanctuary ballance,
or not. And it is the humble i-equest of the Author,, that
whatever objections, rectifications or emendations may oc-
curre, they may be conveyed unto him ; who desireth nothing;
may be accepted in the Churches, but what is according to the
will and minde of God, and tendeth to holiness, peace, and
promotion of the holy kingdome of Jesus Christ. The pro-
curing of half so many copies written ajid corrected, would be
more difficult and chargeable than the printing of these few.
I beg the prayers as well as the pains of the precious Servants
of the Lord, that I may never have the least finger in doing
any thing that may be derogatory to the holiness and honour
of Jesus Christ and his churches. And to tliis I subscribe
myself, one of the least of the labourers in the Lord's vineyard.
John Eliot."
1668. The Rise, Spring and Foundation of the Anabap-
tists : or the Re-Baptised of our Times. 58 pages. Quarto,
I 2L
274 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
1668. God's Terrible Voice in the City of London, where-
in you have the Narration of the late dreadfvil Judgment of
Plague and Fire; the former in the year 1665 and the latter
in the year 1666. 32 pages. Quarto.
1668. The Righteous Man's Evidence of Heaven. By
Timothy Rogers. Small Quarto.
^ 1671. Cambridge Platforaa of Church Discipline. Sec-
ond Edition. 40 pages. Quarto.
1 672. « Indian Logick Primer."
1673. Wakeman's Young Man's Legacy to the Rising
Generation. A Sermon, preached on the Death of John Tap-
pin, of Boston. 46 pages. Quarto.
1673. Mather's [Increase] Woe to Drunkards. Two
Sermons. 34 pages. Quarto. [Printed by Johnson] " and
sold by Edmund Ranger, Book Binder, in Boston."
1674. Exhortation unto Reformation. An Election Ser-
mon. By Samuel Torrey, of Weymouth. 50 pages. Quarto.
1 674. Cry of Sodom enquired into, upon occasion of the
Arraignment and Condemnation of Benjamin Goad, for his
prodigious Villany. By S. D. Quarto. 30 pages.
BARTHOLOMEW GREEN.
Son of Samuel Green, by his second wife, was
in business a few )^ears with his father at Cam-
bridge. In the yeai' 1690, IsC removed to Boston,
and set up his press. The same year his printing
house and materials were desti'oyed by fire, and he,
in consequence of his loss, returned to Cambridge,
and was again connected with his father. The few
books which I liave seen, that were printed by his
father and him in company, ai-e taken notice of with
his fatlier's. He resumed business, in Boston, in
1692. \^See printers in Boston.l
UNITED STATES. 275
BOSTON,
About forty five years from the beginning of
the settlement of Boston, a printing house was
opened, and the first book I have found printed, in
this town, was by
JOHN FOSTER.
{^Conductor of the Press. 2
Foster was born in Dorchester, near Boston,
and educated at Harvard college, where he graduated
in 1667.
Printers at this time were considered as mere
agents to execute the typographic art ; the presses
were the property of the college, but all tlieir pro-
ductions were under the contiol of licensers ap-
pointed by the government of the colony ; that gov-
ernment had restricted printing, and confined it
solely to Cambridge, but it now authorized Foster
to set up a press in Boston. It does not appear that
he was bred to printing, or that he was acquainted
with the ait ; the probability is, that he was not ; but
having obtained permission to print, he employed
workmen, carried on printing in his own name, and
w^as accountable to government for the productions
of his press.
276 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
The general court, at the session in May, 1674,
passed the order following — " Whereas there is
now granted that there may be a printing Presse
elsewhere than at Cambridge ; for the better regu-
lation of the Presse it is ordered and Enacted that
the Rev. Mr. Thomas Thatcher and Rev. Increase
Mather, of Boston, be added unto the former Li-
censers, and they are hereby impowered to act ac-
cordingly."
If Foster's printing equalled, it could not be said
to excel, that of Green or Johnson, either in neat-
ness or correctness. He printed a number of small
tracts for himself and others. The earliest book
which I have seen from the press under his care,
wiis published in 1676, and the latest in 1680. He
calculated and published Almanacks. To his Al-
manack for 1681, he "annexed an ingenious disserta-
tion on comets, seen at Boston in November and
December 1680,*
He died at Dorchester, September 9, 1681, aged
thirty three years. His grave stone bears the fol-
lowing inscription, viz.
*' Astra colis vivens, moriens super aethera Foster
Scande precor, coelum metiri disce supremum ;
Metior atque meum est, emit mihi dives Jesus,
Nee tenior quicquam nisi grates solvere."
In English thus.
Thou, O Foster, who on earth didst study the
heavenly bodies, now ascend above the firmament
* See Collections of Massachusetts Historical Society, vol,
9. — Chronological and topographical account of Dorchester,
"9'ritten by the rev. T. M. Harris,
"i
I
UNITED STATES. 277
aiid survey the highest heaven. I do survey and
inhabit this divine region. To its possession I am
admitted through the grace of Jesus ; and to pay
the debt of gratitude I hold the most sacred obli^
gation.*"
Two poems on the death of Foster were printed
in 1681 ; one of them was wiitten by Thomas Tile-
stone, of Dorchester, and the other by Joseph Ca-
pen, afterwards minister of Topsfield, Massachusetts,
The latter concluded with the following^ lines.
" Thy body, which no activeness did lack,
Now's laid aside like an old Almanack ;
But for the present only's out of date,
'Twill have at length a far more active state.
Yea, though with dust thy body soiled be,
Yet at the resurrection we shall see
A fair Edition, and of matchless worth,
Free from Erbatas, new in Heaven set forth ;
'Tis but a word from God, the great Creator,
It shall be done when he saith 3Imprimatltjc»"
Whoever has read the celebrated epitaph, by
Franklin, on himself, will have some suspicion that
jt was taken from this original.
* Version, By a friend.
Foster, while living, starry orbs explor'd ;
Dying, beyond their radiant sphere he soar'd ;
And, still admiring the Creator's plan,
Learns the wide scope of highest heaven to scan.
Me, too, may Christ, by his rich grace, prepare
To follow, and be reunited tliere !
278^ HISTORY OF PRINTING.
SAMUEL SEWALL.
[^Conductor of the Press* J
When Foster died, Boston was without the
benefit of the press ; but, a continuance of it in this
place being thought necessary, Samuel Sewall, not
a printer, but a magistrate. Sec. a»man much re-
spected, was selected as a proper person to manage
the concerns of it, and, as such, was recommended
to the general court. In consequence of this rec-
ommendation the court, in October, 1681, gave
Hm liberty to carry on the business of printing in
Boston. The license is thus recorded.*
*' Samuel Sewall, at the Instance of some Friends,
with respect to the accommodation of the Publick,
being prevailed witli to undertake the Management
of the Printing Presse in Boston, late under the
command of Mr. John Foster, deceased, liberty is
accordingly granted to him for the same by this
court, and none may presume to set up any other
Presse without the like Liberty first granted.'*
Sewall became a bookseller. Books for himself
and others were printed at the press under his man-
agement ; as were several acts and laws, with other
work for government. Samuel Green, jun. was his
printer. In 1682, an order passed the general court
* Records of the Colony for 1681.
UNITED STATEJ. 279
for the treasurer to pay Sewall ten pounds seventeen
sliillings, for printing the election sermon, delivered
that year by the rev. mr. Torrey. I have seen sev-
eral books printed by the assignment of Sewall.
In 1684, Sewall, by some means, was unable to
conduct the press, and requested permission, of the
general court, to be released from his engagement ;
this was granted ; the record of his release is in the
words following.
" Samuel Sewall, by the providence of God,
being unable to attend the press, &c. requested
leave to be freed from his obligations concerning it,
which was granted, with thanks for the liberty tiien
granted."
In 1684, and for several subsequent years, the loss
of the charter occasioned great confusion and disor-
der in the political concerns of the colony. Soon after
Sewall resigned his office as conductor of the press
in Boston, he went to England ; whence he returned
in 1692. He was, undoubtedly, the same Samuel
Sewall, who, when a new charter was granted by
king William, was for many years one of the coun-
cil for the province ; and who, in 1692, was ap-
pointed one of the judges of the superior court ; in
1715, judge of probate ; and, in 1718, chief justice
of Massachusetts. He died January 1, 1729-30,
aged seventy eight years.
280 HISTORY OF PRINTING-
JAMES GLEN.
1
Printed for, or by the assignment of Samuel
Sewall, to whom government had committed the
management of the press after the death of Foster.
He prii^ted under Sewall less than two years. ' I
have seen only three or four works which bear his
name in the imprint, and these were printed for
Sewall. One was entitled, " Covenant Keeping,
the Way to Blessedness. By Samuel Willard.'*
12mo. 240 pages. " Boston : Printed by James
Glen, for S. Sewall, 1682." I do not recollect the
titles of the others, which were pamphlets.
All the printing done by Glen was at Sewall's
press.
SAMUI!L GREEN, Junior,
Was the son, by his first wife, of Samuel
Green, who at that time printed at Cambridge. He
was taught the art in the printing house erf his father.
His books bear the next earliest dates to Foster's
and Glen's. In 1682, he printed at the press which,
by order of the general court, was under the man-
agement of Sewall ; and, for some time, by virtue of
an assignment from Sewall. He worked chiefly for
booksellers ; many books printed for them are with-
UNITED STATES. 281
out the name of the printer, and some without date.*
After Sewall ceased to conduct the press, Green
was permitted to continue printing, subject to the
control of the licensers.
John Dunton, a London bookseller, w ho visited
Boston while Green was in business, in 1686, and,
after his return to England, published tlie history of
his own *' Life and Errors," mentions Green in his
publication in the following manner.
" I contracted a great friendship for this man ;
to name his trade, will convince the world he was a
man of good sense and understanding ; he was so
facetious and obliging in his conversation, tliat I
took a great delight in his company, and made use
of his house to while away my melancholy hours. "f
Dunton gives biographical sketches of a num-
ber of men and women whom he visited in Boston
in 1686 ; and, represents Green's wife as a most
excellent woman, even as a model, from which to
draw *' the picture of the best ofwives.^^X [^]
Green printed for government, and soon after
his death, the general court ordered the treasurer to
* Printers should insert in their imprints to books, news-
papers, Sec. not only their names, but the year, and mention
both the state and town where their presses are established.
Many towns in the United States bear the same name. Some
newspapers, and many books, have lately been published in
certain towns ; and the state not being designated in the im-
prints, in many instances it cannot be determined, especially
by those at a distance, in which of the states they were printed.
t Dunton's Life and Errors. Printed at London, 1705. P.
129.
\ Her maiden name was Elizabeth Sill. She was bom ia
Cambridge.
I 2M
282 HISTORY OF PRINTIlfG.
pay his heirs £22 17, *' due him for his last print-
ing."
In 1690, Boston was visited with the small pox ;
before the practice of inoculation was introduced)
this disease, at every visitation, swept off a large
number of inhabitants. In July, of that year, Green
fell a victim to that loathsome disease; he died
after an illness of tliree days ; and, his amiable wife,
within a few days after her husband,^ was carried
off by the same epidemic.
RICHARD PIERCE.
On an examination of the books printed in Bos-
ton before the year 1700, it appears that Richard
Pierce was the fifth person who carried on the
printing business in that place. Whether he had
been bred a printer in England, or had served an
apprenticeship with Green, at our Cambridge, can-
* I am favored by Rosseter Cotton, esq. of Plymouth, with
an original letter, dated at "Plymouth, Aug. 5, 1690," to hia
great grandfather, the rev. John Cotton, then on a visit to
Barnstable, from his son, which mentions, among other arti*
cles of information from Boston, " the small pox is as bad a8
ever ; Printer Green died of it in Three days, his wive also ia
dead Avith it." This letter contains much news of the day ; ifc
states that, " on satui'day Evening about fourteen houses, be- '
sides warehouses andBrue houses, were burnt at Boston, from
the Mill Bridgh down halfway to the Draw Bridgh." By tbia
it should seem, that at that time, there was a street along side
ofthe Mill Creek.
UNITED STATES. 283
jiot be determined. There was a printer, in Lon-
don, by the name of Richai^d Pierce, in 1679 ; and,
it is not improbable, that he emigrated to this coun-
try, and set up his press in Boston. I have seen
some books printed by him on his own account,
and a number for booksellers ; they are mentioned
in the Catalogue of Books printed in America be-
fore the revolution. I have not found any thing
printed by him before 1684, or after 1690.
BARTHOLOMEW GREEN.
B. Green has been mentioned as a printer at
Cambridge, in connexion with his father. He be-
gan business at Boston in 1690, immediately after
the death of his brother, with the best printing ap-
paratus then in the country. He was married the
same year ; and, soon after, his printing house was
consumed, and his press and types entirely destroyed
by a fire, which began in his neighborhood. This
misfortune obliged him to return to Cambridge,
and he continued there two years, doing business in
company with his father. Being again furnished
with a press and types, he reestablished himself in
Boston ; and, opened a printing house in Newbury
street. The imprint to several of the first books
from his press, is, " Boston : Printed by B. Green,
^t the South End of the Town."
In April, 1704, he began the publication of a
newspaper, entitled " The Boston News- Letter,
284 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Published by Authority." It was printed weekly,
on Mondays, for John Campbell, postmaster, who
was the proprietor. After the News-Letter had
been printed eighteen years for Campbell, Green
published it on his own account.
This newspaper was the first printed in the
British colonies of North America ; and, had been
published fifteen years, before any other work of the
kind made its appeai'ance. It was continued by
Green, and his successors, until the year 1776,
when the British troops evacuated Boston, [o]
After his father's death, Bartholomew Green
printed for the college ; and he was, for nearly forty
years, printer to the governor and council of Massa-
chusetts. He was the most distinguished printer
of that period, in this country ; and did more busi-
ness than any other of the profession ; but, he work-
ed chiefly for the booksellers.*
John Allen was concerned with Green in prir^t-*
ing many books, in the imprints of which both
their names appeared ; there was not, however, a
regular partnership between them.f
Through the whole course of his life , Green
was distinguished for piety and benevolence ; he
was highly respected ; and, for many yeai's, held
* Although Green was printer to the governor and coun-
cil ; yet, the acts and laws printed by him were done for a
bookseller, Benjamin Elliot, from 1703 to 1729, as appears
from the imprints.
t The books printed by him, and by him and Allen, will
appear in a Catalogue of Books printed in America before the
devolution, now preparing for the press.
,1
UNITED STATES. 285
the office of a deacon in the Old South church in
Boston. He died December 28, 1732.
The following character of him is extracted
from The Boston News-Letter, of January 4, 1733.
" Bartholomew Green was a person generally
known and esteemed among us, as a very humble
and exemplary christian, one who had much of that
primitive Christianity in him which has always been
the distinguishing glory of New-England. We
may further remember his eminency for a strict ob-
serving the Sabbath ; his household piety ; his keep-
ing close and diligent to the work of his calling ;
his meek and peaceable spirit ; his caution of pub-
lishing any thing offensive, light or hurtful ; and
his tender sympathy to the poor and afflicted. He
always spoke of the wonderful spirit of piety that
prevailed in the land in his youth, with a singular
pleasure." [^See History/ of Newspapers in the
second volume of this work.']
JOHN ALLEN.
^ I HAVE not seen any book with his name in the
imprint, published earlier than the year 1690. He
printed, sometimes in connexion with Bartholomew
Green, and sometimes with Benjamin Harris ; but
was not in regular partnership with either. There
is no evidence that he had printing materials of his
own until 1707 ; at this time he opened a printing
house in Pudding lane, near the postoffice, and did
business on his own account. In November, of
286 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
this year, he began printing The Boston News-Let-
ter, for the proprietor, mr. Campbell, postmaster.
Soon after this event he published the following ad-
vertisement, viz.
" These ai^e to give Notice, that there lately
came from London a Printing Press, with all sorts
of good new Letter, which is now set up in Pudding
Lane near the Post- Office in Boston for publick
use : Where all persons that have any thing to print
may be served on reasonable terms."
Allen printed The News-Letter four years;
when a fire, which consumed most of the buildings
in Cornhill, and many in King street, Queen street,
and the contiguous lanes, is supposed to have burnt
his printing house. The fire broke out on the
evening of the 2d of October, 1711. [/>] On the
preceding day he had printed The News-Letter ;
but, on the next week, that paper was again printed
by Green ; or, as the imprint runs, " Printed in
Newbury- Street, for John Campbell, Post-Master.'*
I have seen a number of books, printed after this
time, by Allen alone, the last of which is Wliitte-
more's Almanack, bearing the date of 1724.
While he was connected witli Green, and pre-
vious to 1708, the acts, laws, proclamations, &c. of
government, were printed by them, and Allen's
name appeared with Green's as *' Printers to the
Governour and Council." Allen printed no book,
that I have seen, on his own account ; all the busi-
ness he executed, in the line of his profession, was
for booksellers. He was from England. There is
in an ancient library in Boston, a copy of Increase
i
UNITED STATES. 287
Mather's Mystery of Israel's Libation, printed in
London, by John Allen, in 1669. It is supposed
that he came to Boston by encouragement from the
Mathers.
BENJAMIN HARRIS.
His printing house was, " over against the Old
Meeting House in Cornhill."* He removed sev-
eral times ; and, once printed " at the London
Coffee-House," which I believe he kept, in King's
street ; at another time in Cornhill, " over against
the Blew Anchor." The last place of his residence
I find mentioned, was in Cornhill, " at the Sign of
the Bible."
He printed, principally, for booksellers ; but he
did some work on his own account. He kept a
shop, and sold books. I have not met with any
book ofiiis printing earlier than 1690, nor later
than 1694. In 1692 and 1693^ he printed The
Acts and Laws of Massachusetts — ^they contained
about one hundred and thirty pages, folio, to which
the charter was prefixed. The imprint is, " Boston :
Printed by Benjamin Harris, Printer to his Excel-
lency the Governour and Council." His commis-
sion from governor Phips, to print them, is pub-
• This church was burnt down in the great fire of 171 1 ;
but was soon rebuilt, on a new site, a number of rods to the
South of the spot where the old building- stood, and was, for
many years, known by the name of " the Old Brick;" which,
in 1808, was taken down, a new church having been erected
far the society in Summer street.
288 HISTORY OF PRINTING. fl
lished opposite to the title page of the volume in the
words following.
" By liis Excellency. — I order Benjamin Harris
to print the Acts and Laws made by the Great and
General Court, or Assembly of Their Majesties
Province of Massachusetts-Bay in New-England,
that so the people may be informed thereof.
William Phips.
^' Boston, December 16, 1692."
In the title page of the laws, printed by him in
1693, is a handsom-C cut of their majesties' arms.
This was in the reign of William and Mary.
HaiTis was from London ; he returned there
about the year 1694. Before and after his emigra-
tion to America, he owned a considerable bookstore
in tliat city. John Dunton's account of him is
thus.
" He had been a brisk asserter of English Lib--
erties, and once printed a Book with that very title.
He sold a protestant Petition in King Charles's
Reign, for which he was fined five Pounds ; and he
was once set in the Pillory, but his wife (like a kind
Rib) stood by him to defend her Husband against
the Mob. After this (having a deal of Mercury in
his natural temper) he travelled to New-England,
where he followed Bookselling, and then Coffee-
selling, and then Printing, but continued Ben. Har-
ris still, and is now both Bookseller and Printer in
Grace Church Street, as we find by his London
Post ; so that his Conversation is general (but never
impertinent) and his Wit pliable to all inventions.
But yet his Vanity, if he has any, gives no alloy to
his Wit, and is no more tliiin might justly spring
UNITED STATES. 289
from conscious virtue ; and I do him but justice in
this part of his Character, for in once travelHng with
him from Bury-Fair, I found him to be the most
ingenious and innocent Companion, that I had ever
met with."*
TIMOTHY GREEN.
Was the son of Samuel Green, junior, of Bos-
ton, and grandson of Samuel Green of Cambridge.
The earliest books, which I have met with of
his printing, bear date in 1700. He had a printing
house at the north part of the town, in Middle street,
near Cross street. He printed and sold some books
on his own account ; but, as was customary, printed
principally for booksellers. The imprint to some
of his books is, " Boston : Printed by Timothy
Green, at the North Part of the Towny I have
seen other books printed at the same time by his
uncle Bartholomew, with this imprint, " Boston :
Printed by B. Green, at the South Pan of the
* Dunton's Life and Eirors, printed in London, 1705.
Dunton was an English bookseller, who had been in Boston ;
he was bred to this business by Thomas Parkhurst, who pub-
lished Mather's Magnalia, and other books for Newengland
ministers. Dunton had a knowledge of the booksellers in
England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, and Newengland; and
published a sketch of their characters. \See Booksellers^
Boston^
I 3N
SJ0O HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Town.^^ Although several printers had succeeded
each other, there had never been more than two
printing- houses open at the same time in Boston ;
and, at this period, it does not appear that the num-
ber was encreased.
T. Green continued in business, at Boston,
until 1714. He then received encouragement from
the general assembly of Connecticut, and removed
his press to Newlondon. [^See printers in Connec-
ticut.']
JAMES PRINTER, alias James the Printer.
This man was an Indian native; born at an
Indian town called Hossanamesitt,* now the town
of Grafton, in the county of Worcester, Massachu-
setts. His father was a deacon of the church of
Indian Christians established in that place. James
had two brothers ; the one, named Anaweakin, was
their ruler ; the other, named Tarkuppawillin, was
their teacher ; they were all esteemed on account of
their piety, and considered as the principal persons
of that Indian village.!
James, when a child, was taught at the Indian
charity school, at Cambridge, to read and write the
English language, where, probably, he received the
Christian name of James.
• Signifying a place of atnall stdnes.
t Major Daniel Gookin's account of the Indians in New-
en gland.
UNITED STATES. 291
In 1659, lie was put apprentice to Samuel Green,
printer, in that place, which gave him the surname
of Printer. Green instructed him in the art of
Printing; and, whilst his apprentice, employed him
as a pressman, &c. in printing the first edition of
the Indian Bible.
A war taking place between James's country-
men and the white people, James, fired with a spark
of the a7nor patria, left his master secretly, and
joined his brethren in arms. A number of skir-
mishes were fought, in all which the Indians were
repulsed with loss ; they, in consequence, became
disheartened ; and, the associated tribes separated,
and retired to their respective places of residence ;
at which time, 1676, tlie government of Massachu-
setts issued a proclamation, or, as Hubbard, in his
Nairative of the Indian Wars, terms it, " Put forth
a Declaration, that whatsoever Indians should with-
in fourteen days next ensuing, come in to the Eng-
lish, might hope for mercy. Amongst sundry who
came in, there was one named James the Printer,
the superadded Title distinguishing him from others
of that name, who being a notorious Apostate, that
had learned so much of the English, as not only to
read and write, but had attained some skill in print-
ing, and might have attained more, had he not like
di false villain run away from his Master before his
time was out ; he having seen and read the said
Declaration of the English, did venture himself
upon the Truth thereof, and came to sue for his
life ; he affirmed with others that came along with
him, that more Indians had died since the JVar be-
gan of diseases (such as at other times they used
292 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
not to be acquainted withal) than by the sword of
the Enghsh."*
In this war, the Narraganset Indians lost their
celebrated chiqf, king Philip, of Mount Hope ; after
gtv^hiclj the colony enjoyed great tranquillity.
James, it is supposed, remained in and near
Boston, till 1680 ; and, doubtless, worked at the
printing business, either with his former master, at
Cambridge, or with Foster, who had lately set up a
press, the first established in Boston, and must have
well known James, who lived with Green when
Foster was at college.
In 1680, he was engaged with Green at Cam-
bridge in printing the second edition of the Indian
Bible. The rev. John Eliot, in a letter to the hon.
Robert Boyle at London, dated March, 1682-3,
observes respecting this second edition, " I desire
to see it done before I die, and I am so deep in
yeai's, that I cannot expect to live long ; besides,
we have but one man, viz. the Indian Printer,*that
is able to compose the Sheets, and correct the Press
with understanding."
In another letter, dated " Roxbury, April 22,
1684," to the hon. mr. Boyle, from the reverend
nir. Eliot, he mentions, " We present your honours
witli one book, so far as we have gone in the work,
and humbly beseech that it may be acceptable till
the whole Bible is finished ; and then the whole im-
pression (which is two thousand) is at your honours
* Hubbard's Narrative of the Troubles with the Indians in
New-England, &c. 4to. edition ; " printed by Autliority," at
;Poston, 1677, p. 96.
UNITED STATES. 293
command. Our slow progress needeth aii apology.
We have been much hindered by the sickness the
last year. Our workmen have been all sick, and we
have but few liands (at printing) one Englishman,
and a boy, and one Indian ;* and many interrup-
tions and diversions do befall us, and we could do
but little this very hard winter."
We hear no more of James until 1709, when art
edition of the Psalter, in the Indian and English
languages, made its appearance with the following
imprint.—" Boston, N. £. Printed by £. Green
and J, Printer J for the Honourable Company for the
Propagation of the Gospel amongst the Indians in
New-England."— In Indian thus, Upprinthomim-
neau B. Green, kah J. Printer, wiitche quhiantamwe
Chapanuhkeg ivutche onchektouunnat wunnaimch-
ummookaonk ut New-England. 1 709-1
Some of James's descendants were not long
since living in Grafton ; they bore the surname of
Printer.
' * Undoubtedly J. Printer.
t Bartholomew Green was the son of James's former mas-
ter ; James was well known among all the neighboring tribes ;
and, one motive for employing him in printing this Psalter,
might have been, to excite the greater attention among the
Indians, and give it a wider circulation ; beside, his knowl-
edge of both languages, enabled him to expedite the work
with more facility and correctness than any other person.
Several books were, about this time, ti-anslated into the
Indian language, and printed, which might hav-e afforded em-
ployment to James ; but I have seen only the Psalter with his
Rame as the printer.
294 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
THOMAS FLEET.
Was born in England and there bred to the
Printing business. When young he took an ac-
tive part in opposition to the high church party.
On some pubHck procession, probably that of dr.
Sacheverel, when many of the zealous members of
the high church decorated their doors and windows
with garlands, as the heads of their party passed in
the streets. Fleet is said to have hung out of his
window an ensign of contempt, which inflamed the
resentment of his opponents to that degree, that he
was obliged to secrete himself from their rage, and
to embrace the first opportunity to quit his country.
He arrived at Boston about the year 1712, and
soon opened a printing house in Pudding Lane,
now Devonshire Street. The earliest book I have
seen of his printing, bears date 1713. He was a
good workman ; was a book printer, and he and T.
Crump were concerned in printing some books to-
gether,
But the principal performances of Fleet, until
he began tlie publication of a news paper, consisted
of pamphlets, for booksellers, small books for chil-
dren and ballads. He made a profit on the latter,
which was suificient to support his family reputa-
bly. He owned several negroes, one of which
worked at the printing business, both at tlie press
and at setting types ; he was an ingenious man, and
cut, on wooden blocks, all the pictures which deco-
UNITED STATES. 295
rated the ballads and small books of his mast^.
Fleet had also two negro boys born in his house ;
sons, I believe, to the man just mentioned, whom
he brought up to work at press and case ; one nam-
ed Pompey and the other Cesar ; they were young
when theii' master died ; but, they remained in the
family and continued to labor regularly in tlie print-
ing house with the sons of mr. Fleet, who succeeded
their father, until the constitution of Massachusetts,
adopted in 1780, made them freemen.
Fleet continued printing, in Pudding Lane, till
early in 1731, he then hired a handsome house in
Comhill, on the north corner of Water street, which
he afterward purchased ; and occupied it through
the residue of his life. He erected a sign of tlie
Heart and Crown, which he never altered ; but after
his death, when crowns became unpopular, his sons
changed the Crown for a Bible, and let the Heart
remain. Fleet's hew house was spacious and con-
tained sufficient room, for the accommodation of his
family, and the prosecution of his printing business,
beside a convenient shop, and a good chamber for
an auction room. He held his vendues in the eve-
ning, and sold books, household goods, &c. as ap-
pears by the following advertisement which he in-
serted in the Boston Weekly News-Letter, March
7th, 1731.
*' This is to give Notice to all Gentlemen,
Merchants, Shopkeepers and others, that Thomas
Fleet of Boston, Printer, (who formerly kept his
Printing House in Pudding Lane but is now re-
moved into Cornhill at the sign of the Heart 8c
Crgivn^ near the lower end of School Street,) is
296 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
willing to undertake the Sale of Books, Household
Goods, Wearing Apparel, or any other Merchan-
dize, by Vendue, or Auction. The said Fleet hav-
ing a large & commodious Front Chamber fit for
this Business, and a Talent well known and ap-
proved, doubts not of giving entke Satisfaction to
such as may emplo}^ him in it ; he hereby engaging
to make it appear that this Service may be per-
formed with more Convenience and less Charge at a
private House well situated, than at a Tavern. And,
for further Encouragement, said Fleet promises to
make up Accompts with the Owners of the Goods
Sold by him, in a few Days after the sale thereof."
In September 1731, a new periodical paper was
published in Boston, entitled, " The Weekly Re-
hearsal;" intended, principally, to contain Essays,
Moral, Political and Commercial.* John Draper
was first employed to print tlae Rehearsal for the ed-
itor, but soon relinquished it, and Fleet succeeded
him as the printer of it ; and, in April, 1733, he
published the Rehearsal on his own account. It
was then, and had, in fact, from the beginning,
been no more than a weekly newspaper ; but, while
in the m.anagement of Fleet, it was the best paper at
that time published in Newengland. In August,
1735, Fleet changed The Weekly Rehearsal into
The Boston Evening Post. The last number of the
Rehearsal was 201, and the first number of the Eve-
ning Post, was 202, whick shews that the Evening
Post was then intended to be a continuation of the
* See Rehearsal, in the History of Newspapers in this
woi'k.
UNITED STATES. 297
Rehearsal ; but the next Boston Evening Post was
numbered 2, and became a new hebdomadal paper,
which was publislied every Monday evening.
Fleet was industrious and economical ; free
from superstition ; and, possessed a fund of wit and
humor, which were often displayed in his para-
graphs and advertisements. The members of Fleet's
family, although they were very worthy, good peo-
ple, were not, all of them, remarkable for the pleas-
antness of their countenances ; on which account he
would, sometimes, indulge himself in jokes which
were rather coarse, at their expense. He once in-
vited an intimate friend to dine with him on Pouts ;
a kind of fish of which the gentleman was remarka-
bly fond. When dinner appeared, the guest re-
marked that the pouts were wanting. " O no,"
said Fleet, " only look at my wife and daughters."
The following is an advertisement of Fleet, for
the sale of a negro woman-^it is, short and pithy,
viz. — " To be sold by the Printer of this paper, the
very best Negro Woman in this Town, who has
had the small pox and the measles ; is as hearty as
a Horse, as brisk as a Bird, and will work like a
Beaver. Aug. 23, 1742."
In number 50 of The Boston Evening Post,
Fleet published the following paragraph, under the
Boston head.—" We liave lately received from an
intelligent and worthy Friend in a neighboring Gov-
ernment, to the Southward of us, the followino- re-
markable Piece of News, which we beg our R^ad--
ers Patience to hear, viz. That the printer there
gets a great deal of Money, has Twenty Shillings
for every Advertisement published in his News-Pa^
I 2Q
298 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
per, calls Us Fools for working for ^lothing, and has
lately purchased an Estate of Fourteen Hundred
Pounds Value.* We should be heartily glad (had
we Cause for it) to return our Friend a like surpriz-
ing Account of the Printers Prosperity here. But
alas I the reverse of our Brother's Circumstances
seems hereditary to Us : It is well kno^vn we are
the most humble, self-denying Set of Mortals (we
wish we could say Men) breathing ; for where tliere
is a Penny to be got, we readily resign it up to
those who are no Ways related to the Business, nor
have any Pretence or Claim to the Advantages
of it.f And whoever has observ'd our Conduct
hitherto, has Reason enough to think, tliat we hold
it a mortal Crime to malce any other Use of our
Brains and Hands, than barely to help us
" To purchase homely Fare, and fresh small Bee?
(Hard Fate indeed, we can't have better Cheer I)
And buy a new Blue Apron once a year.^
" But as we propose in a short Time to publish a
Dissertation upon the mean and humble state of the
Printers of this Tov/n, we shiill say no more at pres-
* This friend, it is supposed, was James Franklin,
nephew to dr. Benjamin Franklin, who was established in
Rhodeisiand ; and, at that time, the paper currency of that
colony was greatly depreciated.
t Two or three of the Boston newspapers were then
printed for postmasters, or past postmasters ; and printing in
general was done for booksellers. Master printers had but
little more profit on their labor than journeymen.
X It was usual tlicn, and for many years after, for printers,
when at work, to wear blue or green cloth aprons ; and it
•would hav^ been well if this practice had not been laid aside.
UNITED STATES. 299
ent upon this important Subject, and humbly ask
Pardon for so large a Digression. Only we would
inform, that in this most necessary Work, we are
promised the Assistance of a worthy Friend and
able Casuist, who says he doubts not but that he
shall easily make it appear, even to the Satisfaction
of the Printers tliemselves, that they may be as good
Cliiistians,* as u&v':fui Neighbors, and as loyal Sub-
jects, altho' they should sometimes feed upon Beef
and Pudding, as they have hitherto approved them-
selves by their most rigid abstemious way of living."
In February 1744, a comet made its appearance
and excited much alarm. Fleet on this occasion
published the following remarks.
" The Comet now rises about five o' Clock in
the Morning, and appears very large and bright,
and of late it has been seen (with its lucid Train) in
the Day- Time, notwithstanding the Luster of the
Sun. This uncommon Appearance gives much
Uneasiness to timorous People, especially JVonieUy
who will needs have it, that it portends some dread-
ful Judgments to this our Land : And if, from the
Apprehension of deserved Judgments, we should be
induced to abate of our present Pride and Extra\^-
gance, &c. and should become more humble, peace-
able and charitable, honest and just, industrious and
frugal, there will be Reason to think, that the Com-
et is the most profitable Itinerant Preacherf and
* Most of the printers in Boston, at that time, were mem-
bers of the Church ; to which circumstance Fleet, probably,
alluded.
t Preachers of this Class, who with their adherents were vul-
garly called JVeiu Lights, were then frequent in and about Boston.
300 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
friendly JVVw Light that has yet appeared among us."
\_Even. Post. No. 446.]
Fleet had often occasion to complain of the de-
linquency of his customers in making payment for
The Evening Post ; and, in reminding them of their
deficiency, he sometimes indulged himself in sever-
ity of remark, that men of great religious professions
and service, should neglect to pay him his just de-
mands. One of his dunning advertisements is as
follows,
" It will be happy for many People, if Injustice,
Extortion and Oppression are found not to be
Crimes at the last ; which seems now by their
Practice to be their settled Opinion : And it would
be well for the Publisher of this Paper, if a great
many of his Customers were not of the same Senti-
ments. Every one, almost, thinks he has a Right
to read News ; but few find themselves inclin'd to
pa}^ for it, 'Tis great pity a Soil that will bear Pi-
ety so well, should not produce a tolerable Crop of
Common Honesty." [Even. Post. No. 690. Oct,
1748.]
The preceding extracts from The Evening Post,
are sufficient to enable our readers to form some ac-
quaintance with the publisher of that paper ; and,
wh^n they consider the time when the extracts were
published, they will be the more pleased with his
independence of character.
Fleet published The Evening Post until his
death ; and his sons continued it till the memorable
battle at Lexington, in 1775, the commencement of
the revolutionary war, when its publication ceased.
]He was printer to the house of representatives in
UNITED STATES. 301
1729, 1730 and 1731. He died in July 1758, aged
seventy three years ; was possessed of a hand-
some property, and left a widow, three sons and two
daughters. One of the sons, and the two daugh-
ters were never married.
T. CRUMP.
The first book I have seen with Crump's name
in it, was printed in 1716, by T. Fleet and him.
Fleet and Crump printed several books together,
but never, I believe, formed a regular paitnership.
It seems to have been the custom with master print-
ers in Boston, at that time, when their business was
on a very small scale, instead of hiring those who
had served a regular apprenticeship to the trade, as
journeymen, to admit them as temporary partners
in work, and to draw a proportion of the profit.
For example-^two printers agreed to a joint agency
in printing a book, and their names appeared in the
imprint ; if one of them was destitute of types, he
allowed the other for the use of his printing mate-
rials, the service of apprentices, &c. and when the
book came from the press, the bookseller [most
books were then printed for booksellers] paid each
of the printers the sum due for his proportion of the
work ; and the connexion ceased until a contract
was formed for a new job. This method accounts
for facts of which many have taken notice, viz.
books appear to have been printed the same year by
302 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
T. Fleet and T. Crump, aiid by T. Fleet separate-
ly ; and so of others. — This was the case with
Samuel Green and Marmaduke Johnson, at Cam-
bridge. Their names appear together in the im-
print of a book, and in the same year tlie name of
S. Green appears alone. The same thing took
place with Bartholomew Green and John Allen, and
with Benjamin Harris and John Allen. Allen's
name often appeared witli Green's, and sometimes
with Harris's ; but still oftener the names of Green
and Harris appear alone in the books issued from
their respective printing houses. I can recollect
that, when a lad, I knew several instances of tliis
kind of partnership.
Crump, after his connexion with Fleet, printed
some books, in ^^'^hich his name only appears in the
impnnts. He did but little business. I have not
seen any thing printed by him after the year 1718.
SAMUEL KNEELAND.
Began business about the year 1718. His
printing house was in Prison lane,* the corner of
Dorset's alley. Tliis building was occupied for
eighty years as a printing house by Kneeland and
those who succeeded him ; but it is now filled with
offices occupied by gentlemen of the law.
He was born in Boston, and served an appren-
ticeship with Bartholomew Green. He had res-
* Now Court Street.
UNITED STATES. 303
pectable friends, who, soon after he became of age,
furnished him with means to procure printing ma-
terials.
Kneeland was a good workman, industrious in
his business, and punctual to his engagements.
Many books issued from his press for himself and
for booksellers, before and during his partnership
with Timothy Green, the second printer of that
name.
William Brooker, being appointed postmaster
at Boston, he, on Monday, December 21st, 1719,
began the publication of another newspaper in that
place. This was the second published in the Brit-
ish colonies, in North America, and was entitled
*' The Boston Gazette." James Franklin was
originally employed as the printer of this paper;
but, in two or three months after the publication
commenced, Philip Musgrave was ajjpointed post-
master, and became the proprietor of it. He took
the printing of it from Franklin, and gave it to
Kneeland.
In 1727, a new postmaster became proprietor 6f
the Gazette, and the printer of it was again changed.
Soon after this event, in the same year, Kneeland
commenced the publication of a fourth newspaper,*
entitled, ** The New-England Journai." This \vas
the second newspaper in Newengland published by
a printer on his oUii account. In four months af-
ter the establishment of this paper, Kneeland form-
» The New-England Courant had been printed several
yeai's before, but at this time was discontinued.
304 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
ed a pai'tnership with Green already mentioned, son
of that Timothy Green who, some years before, re-
moved to Newlondon. The firm was
Kne eland and Green.
When this partnership took place, Kneeland
opened a bookshop in King, now State street, on his
own account, and Green managed the business of
the printing house for their mutual interest. After
attending to bookseUing, for four or five yeai^s,
Kneeland gave up his shop, returned to the printing
house, and took an active part in all its concerns.
They continued the publication of The New-
England Journal, near fifteen yeai's ; when, on the
decease of the proprietor of the Boston Gazette, his
heirs, for a small consideration, resigned that paper
to Kneeland and Green. They united the two pa-
pers under the title of " The Boston Gazette, and
Weekly Journal."
The pai'tnership of Kneeland and Green was
continued for twenty five years. In 1752, in con-
sequence of the father of Green, in Newlondon, hav-
ing become aged and infirm, the partnership was
dissolved, and Green removed to that place, where
he assumed his father's business.
The concerns of the printing house were, after
Green went to Connecticut, continued by Kneeland
with his accustomed energy- Soon after the disso-
lution of their partnership, The Boston Gazette and
W eekly Journal was discontinued ; and Kneeland,
when a few months had elapsed, began another paper
UNITED STATES. S05
entitled, *' The Boston Gazette, or Weekly Adver-
tiser.*
The booksellers of this time were enterprising.
Kneeland and Green printed, principally for Daniel
Henchman, an edition of the Bible in small 4to.
This was the first Bible printed, in the English lan-
guage, in America. It was carried through the press
as privately as possible, and had the London imprint
of the copy from which it was reprinted, viz. " Lon^
don : Printed by Mark Baskett, Printer to the King's
Most Excellent Majesty," in order to prevent a pros-
ecution from those, in England and Scotland, who
published the Bible by a patent from the crown ; or,
Cum privilegioy as did the English universities of
Oxford and Cambridge. When I was an appren-
tice, I often heard those who had assisted at the case
and press in printing this Bible, make mention of
the fact. The late governor Hancock was related
to Henchman, and knew the particulars of the trans-
action. He possessed a copy of this impression.
As it has a London imprint, at this day it can be
distinguished from an English edition, of the same
date, only by those who are acquainted with the
niceties of typography. This Bible issued from
the press about the time that the partnership of
Kneeland and Green expired. The edition was not
large ; I have been informed that it did not exceed
seven or eight hundred copies.
Not long after the time that this impression of the
Bible came from the press, an edition of the New
Testament, in duodecimo, was printed by Rogers
• See Newspapers,
I 2 P .
306 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
and Fowle, for those, at whose expense the Bible
issued. Both the Bible and the Testament were
well executed. These were heavy undertakings for
that day, but Henchman was a man of property ;
and, it is said, that several other principal booksel-
lers, in Boston, were concerned with him in this
business. The credit of this edition of the Testa-
ment was, for the reason I have mentioned, trans-
ferred to the king's printer, in London, by the in-
sertion of his imprint.
Kneeland was, for a great length of time, printer
to' the governor and council, and during several
years he printed the acts, laws and journals of the
house of representatives. He was diligent, and
w^orked at case when far advanced in years. The
books he published were chiefly on religious sub-
jects ; he printed some political pamphlets. He
Avas independent in his circumstances ; a mem-
ber of the Old South church ; and, was a pious,
friendly, and benevolent man. He left four sons,
all of whom were printers; two of them, whose
names were Daniel and John, set up a press, in part-
nership, before their father's death ; but the other
two never were in business on their own account.
He died December 14th, 1769, aged seventy
three years. The following is extracted from the
Evening Post of December 18th, 1769.
" Last Thursday died, after a long indisposition,
Mr. Samuel Kneeland, formerly, for many years,
an eminent Printer in this Town. He sustained
the character of an upright man and a good Chris-
tian, and as such was universally esteemed. He
continued in business till through age and bodily
UNITED STATES. 307
Infirmities he was obliged to quit it. His Funeral
was very respectfully attended on Saturday Evening
last.'*
JAMES FRANKLIN.
Was the brother of the celebrated dr. Benjamin
Franklin. He was born in Boston, where his father,
who was a respectable man, carried on the business
of a tallow chandler, at the Blue Ball, corner of
Union street. With this brother dr. Franklin liv-
ed several years, as an apprentice, and learned the
art of Printing. I have been informed that James
Franklin served an apprenticeship with a printer in
England, where his father was born, and had con-
nexions.
In March, 17tt,* J. Franklin came from London
with a press and types, and began business in Bos-
ton. At first he printed a few pamphlets for book-
sellers. In 1719, a postmaster was appointed, who
* Before the new stile took place in 1752, there was much
confusion respecting dates, particularly inregai"d to the month*
of January and February. Some writers began the year in
January, and others in March. The difficulty was to deter-
mine whether January and February closed an old year, or
began a new one. It became neceSsary to have some mode,
by which it might be known to what year January and February
belonged, wherever these months were mentioned. For this
purpose the following method was adopted. — During January,
Februar}', and to the 22d of March, the year was thus marked,
1716-17, or 17-|4) meaning, that by the ancient mode of calcu-
)08 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
established a second newspaper ; for until this time
The Boston News-Letter was the only paper which
had been published in British America. The title
of the new paper was, " The Boston Gazette," and
J. Franklin was employed to print it ;* but, within
seven months, Philip Musgrave, being appointed to
the postoffice, became the proprietor of the Gazette,
and employed another printer ; and Franklin oth-
erwise employed his press until August 6, 1721 ;
when, encouraged by a number of respectable char-
acters, Avho were desirous of having a paper of a dif-
ferent cast from those then published, he began the
publication, at his OA\ai risk, of a third newspaper,
entitled, " The New- England Courant." Frank-
lin's father and many of his friends were inimical to
this undertaking. They supposed that one newspa-
per A\^as enough for the Avhole continent ; and they
lating, the month mentioned belonged to the year 1716 ; but,
by the new calculation, to the year 1717. After the 22d of
March there was no difficulty ; for by both calculations, the
succeeding months were included in the new year.
* Dr. Franklin, in writing his life, was incorrect in assert-
ing, that the Courant Avas the second newspaper published in
America. There were three papers publi shed at that time, viz,
first, The Boston News-Letter ; secondly, The Boston Ga-
zette ; and, the third was The American Mercury, published
at Philadelphia ; of course the Courant was the fourth. The
doctor probably fell into this mistake, from his knowledge that
his brother first printed the Gazette, which, in fact, was the
second paper published in Boston. The doctor seems to have
mentioned the events of his youth from recollection only ;
therefore, we cannot wonder if he erred in respect to some
circumstances of minor importance. In more material con^
cerns, he was substanlially correct.
UNITED STATES. 309
apprehended that another must occasion JtMokite
ruin to the printer. Franklin, notwithstanding their
remonstrances, proceeded.
This weekly publication, like the others issued
in Boston, contained only a foolscap half sheet, but
occasionally was enlarged to a whole sheet. The
patrons of this paper formed themselves into a club,
and furnished it with short original essays, generally
one for each week, in imitation of the Spectator and
other periodical publications of that class. These
essays soon brought the Courant into notice ; the
rigid puritans warmly opposed it ; but men of dif-
ferent sentiments supported it. Among others, the
rev. Increase Mather, who was one of Franklin's
first subscribers, very soon denounced The Cour-
ant, by an adveilisement in The Boston Gazette,
No. 114.*
The Courant contained very little news, and but
few advertisements. It took a decided part against
the advocates of inoculation for the small pox,
which was then beginning to be introduced— it was
hostile to the clergy, and to some of the riiost influ-
ential men in civil government ; and, it attacked
some of the religious opinions of the day ; in con-
sequence, frequent assaults Avere made upon its
Avriters ; and, in their defence, they abounded more
in severe, and not always the most refined, satire,
than in argument. Wliile, therefore, the Courant
gained a currency with one pait of the community,
it excited the resentment of another, and soon at-
tracted the notice of government.
* For this advertisement, see Histoiy of ^ Newspapers-
Boston.
310 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Franklin had not published The New England
Coiirant twelve months, before he was taken into
custody, publicly censured, and imprisoned four
weeks, by the government, for publishing what
were called " Scandalous Libels," &c.*
Being released from his confinement, he con-
tinued the publication of the Courant until Jan-
uary 14, 1723, when an order of council, in which
the house of representatives concurred, directed,
*' That James Franklin be strictly forbidden by this
Court to Print or Publish the New England Cour-
ant, or any Pamphlet or Paper of the like Nature,
except it be first supervised by the Secretary of
this Province."! This order, this stride of despo-
tism, could, it seems, at that time, be carried into
effect ; but, at this day, a similar attempt would
excite indignation, or a contemptuous smile.
Franklin was not inclined to subject his paper
to licensers of the press, and he was unwilling to
stop tlie publication of it ; but, he dai^ed not pro-
ceed in defiance of the order of the legislature.
The club wished for the continuance of the paper ;
and, a consultation on the subject was holden in
Friinklin's printing house, the result of which was,
that to evade the order of the legislature, the New
England Courant should, in future, be published
by Benjamin Franklin, then an apprentice to James.
Accordingly, the next Courant had the following
imprint, " Boston, printed and sold by Benjamin
* See resolve of council, July 5th, 1722, in History of
Newspapers.
t For this Act of the Legislature sec Newspapers.
UNITED STATES. 311
Franklin, in Queen- Street, where advertisements
are taken in." About a year afterward, J. Franklin
removed his printing house to Union street.
The Courant was published in the name of Ben-
jamin Franklin, for more than three years ; [^q^ and,
probably, until its publication ceased ; but it appears
from dr. Franklin's Life, that he did not remain for
a long time with his brother after the Courant began
to be printed in his name.
, J. Franklin remained in Boston for several years.
He continued to publish the Courant, and printed
several small works. He had a brother, by the
name of John, who was married and settled at New-
port in the business of a tallow chandler. Not sat-
isfied with his situation in Boston, and receiving an
invitation from his brother and other persons in
Rhodeisland, he removed to Newport, and set up
the first printing press in that colony ; and, in the
latter part of September, 1732, he published the
first number of " The Rhode-Island Gazette." —
]^See R/wdeisland.']
James Franklin had learned, in England, the art
of calico printing, and did something at the busi-
ness, both in Boston and Newport. The Boston
Gazette of April 25th, 1720, then printed by him
for the postmaster, contains the following advertise-
ment.
" The Printer hereof prints Linens, Calicoes,
Silks, &c. in good Figures, very lively and durable
colours, and without the offensive smell which com-
monly attends the Linens printed here."
312 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
Well known and highly celebrated in this
country and in Europe, was born in Boston, January
17th, 170|. His father was an Englishman, and
served an apprenticeship with a silk dyer in North-
amptonshire. He came to Boston with his wife
and three children ; and, after his arrival in America,
he had four other children by the same wife. She
dying, he married a native of Newengland, by whom
he had ten children ; two daughters excepted, Ben-
jamin was the youngest child by the second wife.*
Franklin's father settled in Boston ; but, finding
the business to which he had been bred insufficient
to afibrd him a maintenance, he relinquished it, and
assumed that of a soap boiler and tallow chandler,
in which occupations, Benjamin was employed from
the tenth to the twelfth year of his life.
Franklin was dissatisfied with the business of his
father, and felt a strong inclination for a seafaring
life. His father was extremely averse to that plan,
and through fear that Benjamin might, in a clandes-
tine manner, get to sea, he concluded to bind him
apprentice to his nephew, who was settled in Bos-
ton, as a cutler ; but not agreeing with his nephew,
on conditions, and Benjamin expressing a wish to
be a printer, his father consented to gratify this in-
* Franklin's Life, first London edition, ISmo. from which
I have taken most of the particulars respecting him.
UNITED STATED. 3lS
blination. At this time, 1717, James Franklin re^
turned from England with printing materials, and
commenced business in Boston ; and Benjamin^ at
the age of twelve years, signed indentures, and be-
came his apprentice.
Pleased with his new employment, Franklin
soon became useful to his brother. He borrowed
books, and read them with avidity and profit.
At an early age, he wrote stanzas on the capture of
Black Beard, a noted pirate ; and, on other occur-
rences. 'These verses, he observes, " were misera-
ble ditties," but his brother printed them, and sent
Benjamin about the town to sell them. One of
these compositions, he remarks, " had a prodigious
run, because the event was recent, and had made a
great noise."
When his brother printed a newspaper, Benja-
min felt increased satisfaction with his business ;
and, he soon began, privately, to compose short
essays, which he artfully introduced for publication
without exciting suspicion of his being the author*
These were examined and approved by the club of
writers for the Courant, to the great gratification of
the writer, who, eventually, made himself known.
It has already been stated, in the account given
of James Franklin, that he was forbidden by the
general court to proceed in the publication of the
Courant, except on certain conditions. With the
terms dictated, James determined that he would not
comply ; and, with a view to evade the injunctions
of the go^ eminent, the name of his brother Benja-
min was substituted in the place of his own, and
the publication was continued. " To avoid the
I 3Q
314 HISTQRY OF PRINTING.
censure of the generiil assembly, who might charge.
James Franklin with still printing the paper under
the name of his apprentice, it was resolved that Ben-
jamin's indentures should be given up to him, with
a full and entire dischai'ge written on the back, in
order to be produced on any emergency ; but that
to secure to James tlie service of Benjamin, it was
agreed, the latter should sign a new contract, which
should be kept secret during the remainder of the
term." This, Benjamin observes, in his .Life, was
a very shallow aiTangement, but it was put into im-
mediate execution. Though the paper was still
issued in Benjamin's name, he did not remain with
his brother long after this arrangement was made.
They disagreed, and in the eighteenth year of his
age he privately quitted James, and took passage
in a vessel for Newyork. At this time there was
but one printer in Newyork, and from him Franklin
could obtain no employment ; but he gave our ad-
venturer encouragement, that his son, who printed
in Philadelphia, would furnish him with work. In
pursuit of this object, he entered a ferry boat on
his way to Philadelphia ; and, after a very disagree-
able passage, reached Amboy. From that place he
travelled on foot to Burlington, where he was hos-
pitably entertained, for several days, by an aged
vFoman who sold gingerbread. When an oppor-
tunity presented to take passage in a boat, he em-
braced it, and reached Philadelphia in safety.
As Franklin afterwards obtained the highest
offices in civil government, and was greatly cele-
brated as a statesman and a philosopher, the particu-
lars of tliis appsu'ently inauspicious period of his life
r NIT ED STATES.' 5^15
are singularly interesting ; I will, therefore, give his
own narrative of his entrance into the capital of
Pennsylvania, of which he was destined to become
the governor.
*' On my arrival at Philadelphia, I was in my
working di'ess, my best clothes being to come by
sea. I was covered with dirt ; my pockets were
filled with shirts and stockings ; I was unacquainted
with a single soul in the place, and knew not whei'C
to seek for a lodging. Fatigued with walking, row-
ing, and having past the night without sleep, I was
extremely hungry, and all my money consisted of a
Dutch dollar, and about a shilling's worth of cop-
pers, which I gave to the boatmen for my passage.
As I had assisted them in rowing, they refused it at
first ; but I insisted on their "taking it. A man is
sometimes more generous when he has little, than
when he has much money ; probably, because, in
the first case, he is desirous of concealing his pov-
erty. I walked towards the top of the street, look?
ing eagerly on both sides, till I came to Market
street, where I met a child with a loaf of bread.
Often had I made my dinner on dry bread. I en-
quired where he had bought it, and went straight
to the baker's shop, which he pointed out to me. I
asked for some biscuits, expecting to find such as
we had at Boston ; but they made, it seems, none
of that sort in Philadelphia. I then asked for a
threepenny loaf. They made no loaves of that
price. Finding myself ignorant of the prices, as
well as the different kinds of bread, I desired him to
let me have three penny worth of bread of some
kind or other. He gave me tliree lai'g-e rolls. I
316 HISTORY O'F printing.
was surprized at reoeiving so much ; I took them,
however, and having no room in my pockets, I
walked on with a roll under each arm, eating the
third. In this manner I went through Market street
to Fourth street, and passed the house of mr. Read,
the father of my future wife. She was standing at
the door, observed me, and thought, with reason,
that I made a very singular and grotesque appear-
ance.
" I then turned the corner, and went through
Chesnut street, eating my roll all the way ; and,
having made this round, I found myself again on
Market street wharf, near the boat in which I had
arrived. I stepped into it to take a draught of the
river water ; and, finding myself satisfied with my
first roll, I gave the other two to a woman and her
child, who had come down the river with us in the
boat, and was waiting to continue her journey.
Thus refreshed, I regained the street, which was
now full of well dressed people, all going the same
way. I joined them, ancj was thus led to a large
Quakers' meetinghouse, near the market place. I
sat down with the rest, and after looking round me
for some time, hearing nothing said, and being
drowsy from my last night's labor and want of rest,
I fell into a sound sleep. In this state I continued
till the assembly dispersed, when one of the congre-
gation had the goodness to wake me. This was
consequently the first house I entered, or, in which
I slept, at Philadelphia.
" I began again to walk along the street by the
river side, and looking attentively in the face of
pYtry one I met, I at length perceived a young
UNITED STATES. 317
quaker, whose countenance pleased me. I accosted
him, and begged him to inform me where a stran-
ger might find a lodging. We were then near the
sign of the Three Mariners. They receive travel-
lers here, said he, but it is not a house that bears a
good character ; if you will go with me I will shew
you a better one. He conducted me to the Crooked
Billet, in Water street. There I ordered something
for dinner, and during my meal a number of curi-
ous questions were put to me ; my youth and ap-
pearance exciting the suspicion that I was a runa-
way. After dinner, my drowsiness returned, and I
threw myself on a bed without taking off my clothes,
and slept till six o'clock in the evening, when I
was called to supper. I afterwai'd went to bed at
a very early hour, and did not awake till the next
moiTiing.
" As soon as I got up I put myself in as decent
a trim as I eould, and went to the house of Andrew
Bradford the printer. I found his father in the
shop, whom I load seen at Newyork. Having trav-
elled on horseback, he had arrived at Philadelphia
before me. He introduced me to his son, who re-
ceived me with civility, and gave me some break-
fast ; but, told me he had no occasion at present
for a journeyman, having lately procured one. He
added, that there was another printer newly settled
in the town, of the name of Keimer, who might,
perhaps, employ me ; and, that in case of a refusal,
I should be welcome to lodge at his house, and he
would give me a little work now and then, till some<
thing better should offer.
51S HISTORY OF PRINTIN-C.^
" The old man offered to introduce me to the
new printer. When we were at his house, * Neigh-
bor,' said he, * I bring you a young man in the
printiag business ; perhaps you may have need o£
his services.' Keimer asked me some questions,
put a composing stick in my hand to see how i
could work, and then said, that at present he had
nothing for me to do, but tliat he should soon be
able to employ me. At the same time, taking old
Bradford for an inhabitant of the town well disposed
towards him, he communicated his project to him,
snd the prospect he had of success. Bradford was
careful not to discover that he was the father of the
other printer ; and from what Keimer had said, that
he hoped shortly to be in possession of the greater
part of the business of the town, led him by artful
questions, and by starting some difficulties, to dis-
close all his views ; what his hopes were founded
upon, and how he intended to proceed. I was pres-
ent, and heard it all, I instantly saw that one of the
two was a cunning old fox, and the other a perfect
novice. Bradford left me with Keimer, who was.
strangely surprised wlien I informed him wlio the
old man was."
Keimer encouraged Franklin with the hope of^
employment in a short time, and he returned tO'
Bradford's. In a few days after he began to work
for Keimer, but continued to board with Bradford.
This was not agreeable to Keimer, and he procured
a lodging for him at mr. Reed's, who has been
already mentioned. " My trunk and effects being-
now lurived," says Franklin, " I thought of mak-
ing, in the eyes of miss Reed, a more respectable
UNITED STATES. 319
appearance than when chance exhibited me to her
view, eating my rolls and wandering in the streets."
Franklin remained about 5even months in Phi-
ladelphia, worked for Keimer, and formed many
acquaintances ; some of them very respectable.
Accident procured him an interview with governoi'
Keith, who made him great promises of friendship
and patronage ; persuaded liim to visit his fatlier,
which he accordingly did, and was bearer of a letter
the governor wrote to him, mentioning the son in the
most flattering terms ; and, recommending his es-
tablishment as a printer at Philadelphia, under assur-
ances of success. Franklin was at tliis time only in
the nineteenth year of his age, and his father declin-
ed to assist in establishing him in business on ac-
count of his youth and inexperience ; but, he an-
swered governor Keith's letter ; thanking him for
the attentions and patronage he had exercised towai'd
his son. Franklin determined to return to Phila-
delphia. At Newyork, on his way, he received
some attentions from the governor of that colony.^
On his arrival at Philadelpliia he presented his fath-
er's letter to governor Keith. The governor disap-
proved of the caution of his father ; still urged the
prosecution of the scheme ; promised himself to be
at all the expense of procuring printing materials ;
and advised Franklin to make a voyage to England,
and select the types, under his own eye, at the
foundry. To this plan Franklin agreed, iuid it was
settled that the design should be kept secret, until
an opportunity presented for his taking passage for
* Burnet^ who w^ swn after goyernor of Massachusetts.
320 HISTORY O'F PRINTING.
London. In the mean time he continued to work
for Keimer.
When a vessel was about to sail, the governor
promised from day to day to give Franklin letters
of credit upon his correspondent in London ; and,
when he was called on board ship, the governor told
him, that he would send his letters to him on board.
At the moment of sailing, letters were brought from
the governor and put into the ship's letter bag ;
among which, Franklin supposed were those, that
had been promised him. But when he reached his
port, he found, on investigation, tliat he had neither
letters of credit nor introduction. The governor
had deceived him, and he landed a stranger in a
strange country.
Destitute and friendless, Franklin's only means
of support consisted in his capacity to labor. He
immediately applied to a printer for employment as
a journeyman, and obtained it. In this situation he
continued for eighteen months, and gained much
knowledge in the art of Printing. He then formed
a connexion with a mercantile friend, whom he as*
sisted as a clerk ; and, with him, he returned to
Philadelphia. This friend soon died, and Franklin
relinquished the plan of mercantile pursuits. He
returned to the business of a printer as a journey-
man; but, soon after, opened a printing house
of his own in Philadelphia. [^See Philadelphm
P7''mters.~\
tJNItED STATES. 32ll
TIMOTHY GREEN, jun.
He was the son of Timothy Green, who re-
moved from Boston to Newlondon in 1714 ; and
great grandson of Samuel Green, of Cambridge.
I have seen no printing with his name before
1726. One or two pamphlets were then printed by
S. Kneeland and T. Green. Several small publica-
tions appeared afterwards with Kneeland's name
only.
In 1727, a regular partnership took place be-
tween them, under the firm of " S. Kneeland and
T. Green." This partnership, as has been men-
tioned, continued till 1752, when he removed to
Newlondon, and succeeded his father. \^See Knee-
land and Greefi, and printers in Connecticut.']
BARTHOLOMEW GREEN, jun.
Was the scai of Bartholomew Green, printer
of The Boston News-Letter, grandson to Samuel
Green, who printed at Cambridge, and served an
apprenticeship with his father.
The earliest works I have seen printed by Bar-
tholomew Green, jun. are, a small book published
in 1726, and The Boston Gazette, for the postmag^
ter, Heniy Marshall, in 1727.
I 2R
322 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
He made use of his press and types in the print-
ing house of his father, till 1734 ; and was, occa-
sionally, connected with John Draper, his brother
in law, in printing pamphlets, &c. Draper suc-
ceeded to the business of B. Green the elder in
1732, in the same house. On the night of the 30th
of January, 1734, this house, with the greatest part
of its contents, was destroyed by fire. After this
misfortune, B. Green jun. formed a copartnership
with John Bushell and Bezoune Allen. The firm
of this company was,
Green, Bushell and Allen.
They printed a number of small books for the
trade, which were very well executed. They used
handsome types, and printed on good paper. How
long this partnership continued, I cannot say; it
was dissolved before 1751.
In September 1751, Green, with his printing
materials, removed to Halifax, Novascotia, intend-
ing to establish a press in that place ; but, he died
in about five weeks after his arrival there, at the age
of fifty two years. On his decease, his late partner
Busliell, went to Halifax, and commenced busi-
ness with Green's press.
Green left several children, and two of his sons
were printers. Bartholomew, the eldest of them,
never had a press of his own. The following pecu-
liarity in his character introduced him to a particu-
lar intercourse with the merchants of the town ; he
made himself so well acquainted with every vessel
which sailed out of the port of Boston, as to know
UNITED STATES. 32$
«acn at sight. Perpetually on the watch, as soon as
a vessel could be discovered with a spyglass in the
harbor, he knew it, and gave immediate informa-
tion to the owner ; and, by the small fees for this
kind of information, he principally maintained him-
self for several years. Afterward he had some of-
fice in the custom house. John, another son, will
be mentioned hereafter.
One of the daughters of Green, is the mother of
mr. Joseph Dennie, formerly editor of The Farmer's
Museum, at Walpole, Newhampshire, and now ed-
itor of The Port Folio, published at Philadelphia.
Mr. Dennie is reckoned among the first scholars in
the Belles Lettres, which our country has produced.
I
GAMALIEL ROGERS.
Served his apprenticeship with Bartholomew
Green, the elder. About the year 1729, he began
business in a printing house, near the Mill Bridge,
He printed for the booksellers. In 1742, he com-
menced a partnership with Daniel Fowle, under the
firm of
Rogers and Fowle,
They opened a printing house in Prison lane,
for some time called Queen street, and now named
Court street.
For those times, they entered largely into busi-
ness, and the books they printed, in magnitude and
324 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
I
variety, exceeded the usual works of the country, '
A nuraber of octavo and duodecimo volumes issued
from their house ; and, their printing was executed
with accuracy and neatness. Several of these
books were printed on their own account.
In 1743, they issued The American Magazine.
It was published in numbers, monthly ; printed in
a handsome manner, and, in its execution, deemed
equal to any work of the kind then published in
London. Several respectable booksellers were in-
terested in this magazine. It was continued for
three years.
In the beginning of the year 1748, they com-
menced the publication of a newspaper, entitled
The Independent Advertiser. A number of able
writers supported and enlivened this publication.
Its prominent features were political. In 1750,
they closed the business of the firm, and the Inde-
pendent Advertiser was then discontinued.
During the partnership of Rogers and Fowle,
they printed an edition of about two thousand copies
of the New Testament, 12mo. for D. Henchman
and two or three other principal booksellers, as has
been already observed.
This impression of the Testament, the first in
the English language printed in this country, was,
as I have been informed, completed at the press, be-
fore Kneeland and Green began the edition of the
Bible which has been mentioned.
Zechai'iah Fowle, with whom I served my ap-
prenticeship, as well as several others, repeatedly
mentioned to me this edition of the Testament.
He was, at the time, a journeyman with Rogers and
UNITED STATES. 325
Fowle, and worked at the press. He informed me,
that on account of the weakness of his constitution,
he greatly injured his health by the performance.
Privacy in the business was necessary ; and as few
hands were intrusted with the secret, the press work
was, as he thought, very laborious. I mention these
minute circumstances in proof that an edition of the
Testament did issue from the office of Rogers and
Fowle, because I have heard that the fact has been
disputed.
Rogers and Fowle were correct printers. They
used good types, paper, and excellent ink of their
own manufacture. They were the only printers, I
believe, who at that time, could make good ink.
The printing ink used in this country, until lately,
was chiefly imported from Europe. In the first
stages of printing, printers made their own ink and
types ; but, the manufacture of types and ink soon
became separate branches of business. Most of
the bad printing in the United States, particularly,
in Newengland, during the revolutionary war, was
occasioned by the wretched ink, and more wretched
paper, which printers \vere then under the necessity
of using.
After the dissolution of the partnership of Rog-
ers and Fowle, Rogers removed to the west part
of the town, then called New Boston ; and there
opened a printing house. For two or tliree years
he did a little business in this place, when his
printing house was, unfortunately, burnt down.
By this accident he was deprived of his press, and
the principal part of his types. Having lost mxost
of his property, he did no more business as a
326 HISTORY OP PRINTING.
printer. His spirits were broken, and he appeared
dejected. At an advanced period of life, he opened
a small shop opposite to the Old South church,
where he supported his family, by retailing ar-
dent spirits in small quantities, trifling articles of
grocery, and by vending a few pamphlets, the
renmant of his stock. I went myself frequently to
his shop, when a minor. He knew that I lived
with a printer, and for this, or some other reason,
was very kind to me ; he gave me some books of
his printing ; and, what was of more value to me,
good advice. He admonished me diligently to at-
tend to my business, that I might become a reputa-
ble printer. I held him in high veneration; and,
often recollected his instructions, which, on many
occasions, proved beneficial to me.
Rogers was industrious, and an excellent work-
nian j an amiable, sensible man, and a good christian.
In 1775, soon after the battie at Bunker's Hill,
when Boston was wholly in possession of the British
troops, and besieged by the provincials, Rogers was
among a number of tlie infirm and invalid inhabit-
ants of that town who obtained permission from the
British general, to leave it. He sought an asylum
at Ipswich ; removed there, and died at that place
in the autumn of that year, aged 70,
He left several daughters, but no sons ; two of
his daughters married clergymen ; one of them was
the wife of the rev. Elijah Parsons of Easthaddam,
in Connecticut, and the other the second wife of the
reverend mr, Dana of Ipswich.
VNITEO STATES. 327
JOHN DRAPER.
Was the son of Richard Draper, a trader ia
Boston. He served his apprenticeship with Bar-
tholomew Green, senior, whose daughter he mar-
ried ; and, at the decease of his father in law, occu-
pied his printing house in Newbury street.
In September, 1731, Draper commenced the
publication of a political paper, entitled, The Week-
ly Rehearsal. It was printed, according to the cus-
tom of those times, on a half sheet of small paper ;
and was carried on at the expense of some gentle-
men who formed themselves into a political or lite-
rary club, and wrote for it. At the head of this
club was the late celebrated Jeremy Gridley, esq.*
who was the real editor of the paper. The re*
ceipts for The Rehearsal never amounted to more
than enough to defray the expense of publication.
Draper printed this paper only about a year and a
half, and at the expiration of about four years it was
discontinued.
On the 28th of December, 1732, Bartholomew
Green died, and Draper succeeded him in his bu-
siness; particularly as publisher of The Boston
Weekly News-Letter. In 1734, he printed tlie
* Mr. Gridley was afterward attorney general of the prov-
ince of Massachusetts, grand master of the society of free ma-
sons, president of the marine society, and a member of th«
general court. He died in September, 1767.
328 HISTORY OF TRlNTiNG.
laws of the province. He was afterward appointed
printer to the governor and council, and was honor-
ed with that mark of confidence and favor as long as
he lived.
Draper not only succeeded Bartholomew Green
in his business, but he was heir to his calamities
also. On the night of the 30th of January, 1734,
the flames were seen to burst from his printing
house, but too late for any effectual assistance to be
afforded. The fire had kindled in the interior part
of the building, which was burnt to the ground ;
and, nearly the whole of the printing materials were
destroyed. This loss was in some measure repaired
by the friendship of his brethren of the type, who
loaned to him a press, and several founts of letters,
till he could replace those articles by a new printing
apparatus from England.
He printed a number of books for the trade ;
but published only a few small pamphlets for his
own sales. He annually printed Ames's famous
Almanack, for himself and for booksellers ; of
which about sixty thousand copies were annually
sold in tlie Newengland colonies.
Draper o\vned the house in which he resided.
It was in Cornhill, the east corner of the short alley
leading to the church in Brattle street. He was an
industrious and useful member of society, and was
held in estimation by his friends and acquaintances.
He died November 29th, 1762, and was suc-
ceeded in business by his son.
The following character of Draper is extracted
from The Boston Evening Post of December 6,
1762.
UNITED 5TATES.' 329
" On Monday Evening last departed this Life
after a slow and hectic Disorder, having just entered
the 61st Year of his Age, Mr. John Draper, Printer,
who for a long Time has been the Publisher of a
News-Paper in this Town; and by his Industry,
Fidelity and Prudence in his Business, ^ rendered
himself very agreeable to the Public— His Charity
and Benevolence ; his pleasant and sociable Turn
of Mind ; his tender Affection as a Husband and
Parent ; his Piety and Devotion to his Maker, has
made his Death as sensibly felt by his Friends and
Relations, as his Life is worthy Imitation."
lOHN BUSHELL*
Was bom in Boston, where he served an ap-
prenticeship. He began business about the year
1734 ; and, as I have been informed, printed The
Boston Weekly Post Boy, during a short period,
for Ellis Huske, postmaster. He was afterward
of the firm of Green, Bushell and Allen. They did
but little business while together, and the connex-
ion was dissolved about 1750. Upon the termination
of the partnership. Green, as has been mentioned,
removed to Halifax, Novascotia ; and, as he died a
few weeks after his arrival, Bushell went to Halifax,
and with Green's apparatus established a press in
that place. He was the first who printed in that
province. f^See JVovascotia.^
2S
530 HISTORY OF PRINTINe,
BEZOUNE ALLEN.
Was, probably, the son of John Allen. He
entered on business, according to report, about the
year 1734 ; and was, for several years, of the firm of
Green, Bushell and Allen. This copartnership was
formed, I believe, in 1736. I have seen books
printed by them as late as 1745 ; but, I have not
discovered that any thing was printed by Allen sep-
arately. They never were in extensive business ;
and, what they did consisted, principally,, in small
works for the booksellers.
JONAS GREEN.
Was the son of the elder Timotliy Green, who
removed from Boston and settled at Newlpndon, in
1714, and great grandson of Samuel Green, printer
at Cambridge. He was bom at Boston, and served
his apprenticeship with his father in Newlondon.
When of age, he came to Boston, and was several
years in the printing house of his brother, who was
then the partner of S. Kneeland.
I have seen but one book printed by Jonas
Green, in Boston, viz. " A Grammar of the He-
brew Tongue, by Judah Monis, professor of the
Hebrew language, at Harvard college," in Cam-
UNITED STATES.
331
bridge, Massachusetts. Good judges pronounced
this work to be correctly printed. I liave seen a
copy of it in the Theological library in Boston,
where the original manuscript is preserved. The
Hebrew types were a cast belonging to the college,
which have since been used in printing professor
Sewall's Hebrew Grammar, and, I suppose, are
now in the museum of the university.
Green resided several years in Philadelphia;
and, during that time was employed in the printing
houses of Bradford and Franklin.
In 1739, as there was not a printer in Maryland,
the legislature of that province employed an agent
to procure one. Green, being well recommended
by his employers, made application to the agent,
and obtained the place of printer to that government.
In cpnsequence of the liberal encouragement he re-
ceived, he opened a printing house at Annapolis
in 1740. \_See printers in Maryland.']
EBENEZER LOVE.
I HAVE not been able to obtain much informa-
tion respecting Love. He was bom in, or near
Boston, and served his apprenticeship in that town.
I have seen notliing of his printing ; but, he was
known in Boston as a printer; indeed, I recollect,
myself, that, when a lad, I heard mention made of
him ; but I cannot ascertain that he was at any-
time actively engaged in the printing business.
352 HISTOJIY OF PRINTING.
In The Bostori Evenmg Post of May 14tli,
1770, under the Boston head, is the following para-
graph, viz.
" We hear from New-Providence, that on the
23d of January last, died there after a few days
illness of a Bilious Cholic, Ebcnezer Love, Esq.
formerly of this town. Printer. For a number of
years past, he had resided at that Island, and carried
on Merchandize ; was well esteemed by the Gen-
tlemen there, and elected a member of tlieir House
of Assembly."
DANIEL FOWLE. ■
Was born in Charlestown, near Boston, and
served his apprenticeship with Samuel Kneeland.
He began printing, on his own account, in
J 740, " north side of King street, opposite the
town house."
In 1742, he, and Gamaliel Rogers, formed a
partnership, in business, under the firm of Rogers
and Fowle.* A brother of Fowle, named John,
was a silent partner in this firm. They opened a
printing house in Prison lane, tlie house next but
one to the old stone gaol, on the site of which the
court house now stands. In the account given of
Rogers, I have mentioned the works done by tliis
company ; and, particularly, the New Testament,
the American Magazine, and the newspaper, enti-
* See Rogers and Fowle.
UNITED STATES. 533
tied. The Independent Advertiser. In taking no-
tice of Fowle, therefore, I shall begin with the
period at which the partnership was dissolved, that
is, in 1750.
Soon after that event, Fowle opened a printing
house on the south side of Anne street, not far from
the Flat Conduit, so called, which at that time
stood in Union street. At the same place, he also
opened a shop, and kept a small collection of
books for sale. Here he printed a number of
works, chiefly pamphlets, most of which were for
his own sales.
In October, 1754, Fowle, while at dinner, was
arrested, by virtue of an order of the house of rep-
resentatives, signed by Thomas Hubbard, their
speaker, and taken before that house, on suspicion
of having printed a pamphlet, which reflected upon
some of the members. It was entitled, " The Mon-
ster of Monsters.'— ^Y Tom Thumb, Esq." After
an hour's confinement in the lobby, he was brought
before the house. The speaker, holding a copy of
the pamphlet in his hand, asked him, " Do you
know any thing of the printing of this Book ?"
Fowle requested to see it ; and, it was given him.
After examination, he said, that it was not of his
printing ; and, that he had not such types in his
printing house. The speaker then asked, " Do you
know any thing relating to the said Book ?" Fowle
requested the decision of the house, whether he Ai^as
bound to answer the question. No vote was taken,
but a few members answered, "Yes!" He then
pbserved, that he had " bought some copies, and
334 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
had sold them at his sliop." This observation oc-
casioned the following questions and answers, viz.*
Question. [By the speaker.] Who did you
buy them of?
Answer. They were, I believe, sent by a young
man, but I cannot tell his name.
Q. Who did he live with ?
pFowle agahi desired the decision of the house,
whether he was obliged to give the required inform-
ation, and a number of individual members again
replied, " Yes !" — Upon which Fowle answered]
The young man, I believe, lives with Royall
Tyler.
Q. Did you have any conversation with him
[Tyler] about them ?
A. I believe I might, in the same manner I
had with many others ; not that I thought him the
author. It was never offered me to print.
Q. Did any of your hands assist in doing it ?
A. I believe my negro might, as he some«
times worked for my brother, f
Q, Has yoiu* brother any help ?
A. No.
• Vide « Total Eqlipse of Liberty," a pamphlet writtea
and published by D. Fowle, containing a full account of this
arbitrary procedure.
t This negro was named Primus. He was an African. I
well rfemembcr him ; he worked at press with or without an
assistant; he continued to do press work until prevented by
age. He went to Portsmouth with his master, and there died,
being more than ninety years of age j about fifty of which he
was a pressman.
UNITED STATES. SS5
Q. Did you see any of it whilst printing ?
A. Yes.
Q. Whose house was it in ?
A. I think it was my brother's.
Q. Where does he Hve ?
A. Down by Cross street.
Q. What is his name ?
A. Zechariah.
One of the members then said to Fowle, ** You
do not know wheji you lie /" Fowle repHed, " Beg-
ging your paidon, sir, I know when I lie, and wiiat
a lie is as well as yourself.'*
After this examination, Fowle was again confin-
ed for several hours in the lobby ; and, from thence,
about ten o'clock at night, was, by order of the
house, taken to the " common gaol," and there
closely confined ** among thieves and murderers."*
He was denied the sight of his wife, although she,
with tears, petitioned to see him ; no friend was
permitted to speak to him ; and he was debarred
the use of pen, ink and paper.
Royall Tyler, esq. was arrested, and carried be-
fore the house. When interrogated, he claimed
the right of silence — " JVe?no tenetut seipsum accu-
sare,''^ was the only answer he made. He was com-
mitted for contempt ; but,^ was soon released, on a
promise that he would be forth commg when re-
quired.
* Fowle was confined in the same room with a thief and a
notorious cheat ; and, in the next cell, was one Wyer, then
under sentence of death for murder, and was soon after exe-
cuted. [Vid. Fowle's Total £clifise of Liberty.']
336 HISTORY OF PRINTING."
The house ordered their messenger to take
Fowle's brother Zechariah into custody, with some
others ; but his physician gave a certificate of his
indisposition, and by this mean he escaped impris-
onment.
After two days close confinement, D. Fowie
was taken to the keeper's house, and told, that, *' He
might go C^ but, he refused ; observing, that as he
was confined at midnight uncondemned by the law,
he desired that the authority which confined, should
liberate him, and not thrust him out privily. He
remained with the gaoler three days longer ; when
learning from a respectable physician, that his wife
was seriously indisposed — ^that her life v/as endan-
gered by her anxiety on account of his confine-
ment-—and, his friends joining their persuasion to
this call upon his tenderness, Fowle was induced to
ask for his liberation. He was accordingly dis-
missed ; and, here the prosecution ended. He en-
deavored to obtain some satisfaction for the depriva-
tion of his liberty, but he did not succeed in ths
attempt.
Disgusted with the government of Massachu-
setts by this treatment, and being invited by a num-
ber of respectable gentlemen in Newhampshire to
remove into that colonj^, he accepted their invita-
tion ; and, at the close of the following year, estab-
hshed his press at Portsmouth. He was the first
printer who settled in that province ; and, in 1756,
he began the publication of The New-Hampshire
Gazette.
D. Fowle was, I believe, the third person whom
the legislature of Massachusetts imprisoned for print-
i
tTNITED StATES* 337
ing what was deemed a libel on that body, or on some
of its members, or for publishing heretical opin-
ions, &c.
Living in the family of Daniel Fowle's brother,
I early became minutely acquainted with the
whole transaction, and deep impressions were then
made upon my mind in favor of the liberty of
the press. For this liberty I am now an advocate,
but I still, as I ever did, hold the opinion, that a
line should be drawn between the liberty and the
licentiousness of the press. Wc seem to have pass-
ed from one extreme to the other ; and, it is now
difficult, I confess, to mark the proper boundaiy*
[_See Newhampshire.1
2ECHAIIIAH FOWLE.
He was born at Charlestown, near Boston, of
very respectable parents, and served his appren*-
ticeship with his brother Daniel, who was, at that
period, in partnership with Gamaliel Rogers.
The first book which bears the name of Z;
Fowle as printer, was begun by Rogers and Fowle*
viz. Pomfret's Poems, on a new small pica. On
the dissolution of that firm, they assigned this book
over to Z. Fowle, who completed it, and sold the
greater part of the copies, in sheets, to booksellers.
He soon after opened a printing house, and a
small shop, in Middle street, near Cross street,
where he printed and sold ballads and small pam-
phlets.
I 3 T
338 HisTofiy OF printing.
Not being much known as a printer, and living
in a street where but little business was transacted,
he was selected by a number of gentlemen, who
were in opposition to the measures of the general
court, and particularly to an excise act, to print a
pamphlet entitled, " The Monster of Monsters,"
satirizing this act, and bearing with some severity
upon individual members of the court. D. Fowle
was prevailed upon to assist his brother in carrying
this work through the press. Joseph Russell, his
apprentice, then nearly of age, worked at the case,
and a negro man at the press. The pamphlet was
small, and appeared without the name of the
printer.
It was the custom of that day to hawk about the
streets every new publication. Select hawkers were
engaged to sell this work ; and, were directed what
answers to give to enquiries into its origin — who
printed it, &c. The general court was at the time
in session. The hawkers appeared on the Ex-
change with the pamphlet, bawling out, " The Mon-
ster of Monsters P'' Curiosity was roused, and the
book sold. The purchasers inquired of the hawk-
ers, where the Monster came from ? — all tlie reply
was, *' It dropped from the moonP'' Several mem-
bers of the general court bought the pamphlet. Its
contents soon excited the attention of the house.
Daniel FoAvle, who was suspected to be the printer,
was brought before the house of representatives and
examined, as has been observed.* Z. Fowle was
then ordered into custody, and Russell who assisted
* Vid. Daniel Fowle.
UNITED STATES. 33^
him. Russell was brought before the house, ex-
amined and released.
Z. Fowle heai'ing, that his brother and Russell
were arrested, and that the officer was in search of
him, was instantly seized with a violent fit of the
cholic. His Ulness was not feigned ; he possess-
ed a slender constitution, was often subject to this
complaint ; and, at this time, it was brought on by
tlie fear of an arrest. When the officer appear-
ed, the attending physician certified that he was
dangerously ill. With this certificate the officer
departed, and Fowle escaped imprisonment — ^the
punishment which his brother unjustly experienced.
When Daniel Fowle removed to Portsmouth,
Zechariah took the printing house, which he had
occupied, in Anne street.
Until the year 1757, Z. Fowle printed little else
tlian ballads ; he then began an edition of the Psal-
ter for the booksellers. In this work he was aided
by two young printers just freed from their inden-
tures, and to whom Fo^vle allowed a proportionate
part of the profits of the impression. One of these,
Samuel Draper, a very worthy young man, became
a partner with Fowle after the Psalter was printed.
The firm was
Fowle and Draper.
They took a house in Marlborough street, op-
posite the Founder's Arms ; here they printed, and
opened a sliop. They kept a great supply of bal-
lads, and small pamplilets for book pedlars, of whom
there were many at that time. They printed sev-
340 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
eral works of higher consequence, viz. an edition
consisting of twenty thousand copies of The Youth's
Instructor in the English Tongue, commonly called
the Newengland Spelling Book ; this school book
was in great repute, and in general use for many
years. — ^Janeway's Heaven upon Earth, octavo-—
Watts's Psalms, and several smaller duodecimo
volumes^ — all for the trade. They printed, also,
many pamphlets of various sizes on their own ac-
count ; and, had full employment for themselves
and two lads. Draper was a diligent man, and gave
unremitted attendance in the printing house. Fowle
was bred to the business, but he was an indifferent
hand at the press, and much worse at the case. He
was never in the printing house when he could find
a pretence for being absent.
After the death of John Draper, Richard, his
son, took his kinsman Samuel, as a partner, and
Fowle again printed by himself. The business in
his printing house was then principally managed by
a young lad, his only apprentice.
Soon after he separated from Draper, he remov-
ed to Back street, where he continued printing and
vending ballads and small books until 1770 ; at
which time Isaiah Thomas became his partner.
This connexion was dissolved in less than three
months, and Thomas purchased his press and
types.
Fowle, having on hand a considerable stock of
the small articles he usually sold, continued his
shop till 1775. Boston being then a garrison town
in the possession of the British troops, he obtained
a permit to leave it, and removed to Portsmouth,
UNITED STATES. 341
Newhampshire. While in this place he resided
with his brother, and died in his house in 1776.
Fowle was a singular man, very irritable and ef-
feminate, and better skilled in the domestic work
of females, than in the business of a printing house,
Kis first wife died in 1759 — ^lie married a second ;
but had no children by either. Fowle could not be
called an industrious man ; yet, in justice to his
character, it ought to be mentioned, that he did
business enough to give himself and family a decent
maintenance. Although he did not acquire prop-
erty, he took care not to be involved in debt. He
was honest in his dealings, and punctual to his en-
gagements.
BENJAMIN EDES.
Was bom in Charlestown, near Boston. He
began business with John Gill, in the year 1755,
under the firm of
Edes and Gill.
They continued in partnership until the com-
mencement of the revolutionary wai'.
Their printing house, for a time, was in King
street, now State street; they afterwai'd occupied
the printing house formerly kept by Rogers and
Fowle, the second house west of the present court
house in Court street. After the death of Samuel
342 HisTORV or printing.
Kneeland, they removed to the printing house
which he, for about forty years, occupied, and there
they remained until hostilities commenced between
the parent state, and the colonies.
Two newspapers had been published, entitled
The Boston Gazette, and were, in succession, dis-
continued. Edes and Gill began a new paper under
the title of " The Boston Gazette ; and Country
Journal ;" which soon gained an establishment, and
became distinguished for the spirited political essays
which appeared in it.
They published many political pamphlets, and,
for a number of years were appointed printers to the
general court. They did some business for book-
sellers. A small number of octavo and duodecimo
volumes were occasionally issued from their press ;
but, their principal business consisted in the publi-
cation of the Gazette. When the dispute between
Greatbritain and her colonies assumed a serious as-
pect, this paper arrested the public attention, from
the part its able writers took in the cause of liberty
and their country ; and, it gained a very extensive
circulation. Edes was a warm and a firm patriot,
and Gill was an honest whig.
Soon after the revolutionary war began, the Brit-
ish troops closed the avenues between Boston and
the country ; but Edes fortunately made his escape
by night, in a boat, with a press and a few types.
He opened a printing house in Watertown,
where he continued the Gazette, and printed for the
provincial congress of Massachusetts. Here he
found full employment, and his zeal in the cause
UNIl-ED STATES. 543
of his country animated him to redoubled dili-
gence.
The printing he executed at Watertown, did not,
indeed, do much credit to the art ; but the work, at
this time, done at other presses, was not greatly su-
perior. The war broke out suddenly, and few of
any profession were prepared for the event. All
kinds of printing materials had usually been import-
ed from England ; even ink for printers had not, in
any great quantity, been made in America. This re-
source was, by the war, cut off; and, a great scar-
city of these articles, soon ensued.
At that time, there were but three small paper
mills in Massachusetts; in Newhampshire, there
were none ; and, Rhodeisland contained only one,
which w^as out of repair. The paper which these
mills could make, fell far short of the necessary sup-
ply. Paper, of course, was extremely scarce, and
what could be procured was badly manufactured,
not having more than half the requisite labor be-
,stowed upon it. It was often taken from the mill wet,
and unsized. People had not been in the habit of
saving rags, and stock for the manufacture of paper
was obtained with great difficulty. Every thing
like rags was ground up together to make a sub-
-stitute for paper. This, with wretched ink, and
worn out types, produced miserable printing.
In 1776, Edes returned to Boston, on the evac-
uation of the town by the British army.
Gill had remained recluse in Boston during the
siege. They now dissolved their connexion, and
divided their printing materials. Edes continued
to print for the state several years.
344 HISTORY OF PRINTING. 1
111 1779, he took his two sons Benjamhi and
Peter into partnership ; their firm was
, Benjamin Edes and Sons.
About three years after this event, Peter began
business for himself in Boston, but was not success-
ful. Benjamin continued with his father some time
longer, and then set up a press, and printed a news-
paper in Haverhill, Massachusetts ; but, he was not
more fortunate than his brother.
The father continued the business alone, and la-
bored along with The Boston Gazette. This pa-
per had had its day, and it now languished for want
of that support it derived from the splendid talents
of its former writers — some of whom were dead,
some were gone abroad, and others were employed
in affairs of state. It was further depressed and par-
alized by the establishment of other newspapers;
and, by the exertions of another class of writers,
who enlivened the columns of these new journals,
with their literary productions*
Edes was a man of great industry. At the be-
ginning of the revolutionary war, he had accumu-
lated a very decent property, which was not lessened
when he returned to Boston, in 1776. At that
time, he took a good house in Cornhill, part of
which formed the alley leading to Brattle street ; it
was next to that formerly owned by John Draper ;
but, some years before his death, he moved into a
house, which he then owned, in Temple street, and
hired a chamber over the shop of a tinplate worker
in Kilby Street, where he erected his press.
tJNITED STATES. S45
The rapid depreciation of paper money proved
fatal to the property of Edes, as well as to that of
many others. He had a large family to support ;
and, he continued to work, as had been his cus-
tom, at case and press, until the infirmities of age
compelled him to cease from labor. In the ad-
vanced period of his life, competence and ease
forsook him, and he was oppressed by poverty and
sickness.
He died in December, 1803, at the age of eighty
years. His second son, Peter Edes, is now a printer
at Augusta, in the district of Maine.
Edes began the Boston Gazette and Country
Journal, and with him it ended. No publisher of a
newspaper felt a greater interest in the establishment
of the independence of the United States than Ben-
jamin Edes ; and, no newspaper was more instru-
mental in bringing forward this important event
than The Boston Gazette. [_See Newspaper s.'\
JOHN GILL.
The partner of Benjamin Edes, and the junior
publisher of The Boston Gazette and Country Jour-
nal, was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, serv-
ed his apprenticeship with Samuel Kneeland, and
married one of his daughters. Gill was a sound
whig, but did not possess the political energy of his
partner. He was industrious ; constantly in the
printing house, and there worked at case or press,
as occasion required,
I 2U
346 HISTORY or printing.
His partnership with Edes continued for twenty
years. They separated at the commencement of
hostilities by the British, in 1775. Gill remained
in Boston during the siege ; he did no business, and
thought it prudent to confine himself to his own
house. He had, fortunately, acquired a competency
for the support of his family under that trial.
After the evacuation of Boston, his connexion
with Edes ended. They divided their stock, and
settled their concerns. Edes continued the publica-
tion of the Gazette ; and, Gill issued another paper,
entitled, " The Continental Journal." Having pub-
lished this paper several years, he sold the right of
it, in 1785, with his printing materials, to James D.
Griffith.
Gill was brother to the hon. Moses Gill, who,
subsequent to the revolution, was, for several years,
lieutenant governor of the commonwealth of Mas-
sachusetts.
He died August 25, 1785, and left several chil-
dren.
The Continental Journal, which announced to
the public the death of Gill, contains the following
observations respecting him, viz.
" Capt. John Gill, for disseminating principles
destructive of tyranny, suffered during the siege of
this town in 1775, what many other printers were
threatened with, a cruel imprisonment. He, how-
ever, was so fortunate as to survive the conflict;
but had the mortification, lately, of seeing the press
ready to be shackled by a stamp act, fabricated in
his native state j he, therefore, resigned his business,
not choosing to submit to a measure which Britain
UNITED STATES. 347
artfully adopted as the foundation of her intended
tyranny in America. His remains were very res-
pectfully entomb'd last Monday afternoon." {^See
JOHN GREEN.
Was the son of Bartholomew Green, jun. who
died at Halifax, and the great grandson of Samuel
Green of Cambridge. He was born in Boston,
served an apprenticeship with John Draper, and
married his daughter.
J. Green began business with Joseph Russell in
the year 1755. The firm was
Green and Russell.
Their press was established in Tremont street,
in a house which was taken down to make room for
§collay's buildings.
In August, 1757, they issued from their press, a
newspaper, entitled, " The Boston Weekly Adver-
tiser." They repeatedly altered the title of this
paper,* but continued its publication until 1773,
when they sold their right in it, to Mills and Hicks,
In 1758 they removed, and opened a printing
house in Queen street, in the brick building
which makes the east comer of Dorset's alley, and
nearly opposite to the court house ; this building
* See Newspapers.
548 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
has ever since been occupied as a printing house.
They printed for some time the journals of the
house of representatives, and the laws of the govern-
ment. They also did the printing of the custom
house, and published a number of pamphlets ; but,
they never engaged largely in book work.
A few years after this partnership was formed,
Russell opened an auction office, the profits of which
were shared by the firm. Green managed tlie print-
ing house, a^id Russell the auction room. They
continued together until 1775, and by their atten-
tion to business acquired a handsome property.
Green remained in Boston during the siege, and
when the British troops left the town, he became
interested in the Independent Chronicle, then pub-
lished by Powars and Willis, but his name did not
appear. He was a man of steady habits, true to his
engagements, and well respected.
He died November, 1787, aged sixty years. He
had no children. He was, I believe, the last of the
descendants of Samuel Green of Cambridge, who
printed in this state.
JOSEPH RUSSELL.
Was born in Boston, served an apprenticeship
with Daniel Fowle, and entered into partnership
with John Green, in 1755.*
^ Russell lived with Daniel Fowle, at the time Fowle was
imprisoned on suspicion of printing " The Monster of Mon-
sters." Vid. Zechariah Fowle.
UNITED STATES. 349
Russell was a good workman in the planting
business ; but his talents were more particulai'ly
adapted to the duties of an auctioneer. When
Green and Russell united auctioneering with print-
ing, Russell took the sole management of the ven-
due room ; he soon arrived to celebrity in this line,
and had more employment in it than any other per-
son in Boston.
When his partnership with Green was dissolv-
ed, he formed a connexion with Samuel Clap ; and
this company, under the firm of Russell and Clap^
continued the business of auctioneers till the death
of Russell.
Russell was full of life, very facetious and witty ;
but attentive to his concerns. Few men had more
friends, or were more esteemed. In all companies
he rendered himself agreeable. He acquired con-
siderable property, but did not hoard up his wealth,
for benevolence was one of his virtues. He was a
worthy citizen, and a friend to his country.
He died at the end of November, 1795, aged
sixty one years.
BENJAMIN MECOM.
Was a native of Boston. His mother was the
sister of James and of the celebrated Benjamin
Franklin. Mecom served his apprenticeship with
his uncle B. Franklin, at Philadelphia.
When of age, having received some assistance
from his uncle, he went to Antigua, and there print-
350 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
ed a newspaper ; but, in 1756, he quitted that island,
and returned to Boston.
In 1757, he opened a printing house in Comhill,
nearly opposite to the Old Brick church. At the
same place he kept a shop and sold books. His
fcrst work was a large edition, thirty thousand cop-
ies, of the Psalter, for the booksellers. He printed
them on terms so low, that his profits did not amount
to journeymen's wages. This edition was two years
worrying through his press.
After the Psalter, Mecom began to print and
publish, on his own account, a periodical work,
which he intended should appear monthly. It was
entitled, " The New-England Magazine of Knowl-
edge and Pleasure." It contained about fifty pages
12mo. but he published only three or four numbers.
These were issued in 1758 ; but no date either of
month or year appeared in the title page, or in the
imprint. In this Magazine were inserted several
articles, under the head of " Queer Notions.''^ Each
number, when published, was sent about town for
sale, by hawkers ; but few copies were vended, and
the work, of course, was discontinued.
His business was not extensive ; he printed sev-
eral pamphlets for his own sale, and a few for that
of others. He remained in Boston for a number of
years ; but when James Parker and Co, who printed
at Newhaven, removed to Newyork, Mecom suc-
ceeded them, Soon after dr, Franklin procured
Mecom the office of postmaster for Newhaven.
He married in Newjersey, before he set up his
press in Boston. He possessed good printing mate-
UNITED STATES. 551
rials; but, there was something singular in his
work, as well as in himself.
He was in Boston several months before the
arrival of his press and types from Antigua, and had
much leisure. During this interval, he frequently
came to the house where I was an apprentice. He
was handsomely dressed, wore a powdered bob wig,
ruffles and gloves ; gentlemanlike appendages which
the printers of that day did not assume — and, tlms ap^
parelled, would often assist, for an hour, at the press.
An edition of The New-England Primer being
wanted by the booksellers, Z. Fowle consulted widi
Mecom on the subject, who consented to assist in
the impression, on condition that he might print a
certain number for himself. To this^proposal Fowle
consented, and made his contract with the booksel-
lers. Fowle had no help but myself, then a lad in
my eighth year. The impression consisted of ten
thousand copies. The form was a small sixteens,
on foolscap paper. The first form of the Primer
being set up, while it was worked at the press, I
was put to case to set the types for the second.
Having completed this, and set up the whole cast of
types employed in the work, and the first form being
still at press, I was employed as a fly ; that is, to
take off the sheets from the tympan as tliey were
printed, and pile them in a heap ; — this expedited the
work. While I was engaged in this business, I
viewed Mecom at the press with admiration. He
indeed put on an apron to save his clothes from
blacking, and guarded his ruffles ; but, he wore his
coat, his wig, his hat and his gloves, whilst working
at press ; and, at case, laid aside his apron. When
352 HISTORY- OF PRINTING. 1
he published his Magazine with " Queer Notions,'*
this singularity, and some addenday known to the
trade, induced them to give him the appellation of
" Queer Motions.''^
Mecom was, however, a gentleman in his ap-
pearance and manners ; had been well educated to
his business ; and, if " queer," was honest and sen,
sible ; and called a correct and good printer. \_Sec
New haven — Philadelphia — Antigua.']
THOMAS FLEET, jun.
AND
JOHN FLEET.
They were brothers, and having learned from
their fiither the art of Printing, succeeded him in
business at his house in Cornhill, in 1758. I men-
tion tliem together, because they commenced print-
ing in partnership, and continued in connexion un-
til separated by death.
They carried on the publication of The Boston
Evening Post until the commencement of the revo-
lutionar}'- war ; when they suspended the publication
of that newspaper, and it was never after resumed.
The impartiality with which this paper was con-
ducted, in those most critical times, the authenticity
of its news, and the judicious selections of its pub-
lishers, gained them great and deserved reputation.
Both brothers were born in Boston. Their fath-
er gave them a good school education ; they were
correct printers, very attentive to their concerns,
VISITED STATES. BBS
punctual in their dealings, good citizens, and much
respected.
They printed several works in octavo, and some
volumes in duodecimo, on their own account ; and,
some in connexion with other printers. Their shop
was always supplied with smaller articles for the
benefit of their sisters, who were never married.
They remained in Boston during the siege ;
and, afterward, revived the publication of the Mas-
sachusetts Register, which originated with Mein
and Fleming some years before, and had been con-
tinued by Mills and Hicks.
Thomas died a bachelor, March 2, 1797, aged
sixty five years. John was married ; he died March
18, 1806, aged seventy one, and left several chil-
dren ; one of whom, by the name of Thomas, is
now a printer in Boston, at the same house in
which his grandfaher began The Boston Evening
Post.
KICHARD DRAPER.
He was the son of John Draper, the successor
of Bartholomew Green, proprietor and printer of
The Boston News-Letter.
R. Draper was brought up a printer by his fath-
j er; continued with him after he became of age ; and,
for some years before his father's death, was a silent
partner with him. On the death of his father,
Richard continued the News Letter.
I 2W
s!4
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
He was early appointed to the office of printer
to the governor and council, which he retained dur-
ing life. His paper was devoted to the govern-
ment ; and, in the controversy between Greatbritain
and the American colonies, strongly supported the
royal cause. He added, " The Massachusetts Ga-
zette," to the title of " The Boston News-Letter,"
and decorated it with the king's arms.*
Many able advocates for the government filled
the columns of the News Letter, but the opposition
papers were supported by writers at least equally
powerful, and more numerous.
The constitution of R. Draper was very feeble,
and he was often confined by sickness. Soon after
his father's death, he took his kinsman, Samuel
Draper, who was connected with Z. Fowle, into
partnership, under the firm of
R, and S. Draper,
Samuel was not permitted to share in the honor
of printing for the governor and council. In all
the work done for them, Richard's name alone ap-
peared as printer. Samuel Draper died a few years
after this connexion was formed.
R. Draper, having been successful m his busi-
ness, erected a handsome brick house, on a convdtt-
* It had become fashionable, many years before the rev-
olution, among publishers of newspapers, especially those
whose titles embraced the word Gazette, to ornament the titles
with this ensign of royalty. But the printers in Boston had
not followed this fashion.
UNITED STATES. 355
ient spot in front of the old printing house in New-
bury street, in which he resided. He was attentive
to his affairs, and was esteemed the best compiler of
news of his day. His character was amiable, and
his friends were numerous and respectable.
He died June 6, 1774, aged forty seven years.
He left no children, and was succeeded by his
widow.
Draper, alone, did very little book printing ;
but he was concerned with Edes and Gill, and the
Fleets, in publishing several volumes of sermons, &c.
One month preceding his death, he commenced
a limited copartnership with Jolm Boyle. Boyle's
name appeared in the Gazette with Draper's ; whose
ill health rendering him unable to attend closely to
business, Boyle undertook the chief care and man-
agement of it.
The following sketch of the character of R.
Draper, is taken from the Evening Post of June
13, 1774. " He was a man remarkable for the
amiable delicacy of his mind, and gentleness of his
manners. A habit enfeebled and emaciated by re-
morseless disease, and unremitted distress, could
never banish the smile from his countenance. A
well founded confidence in the mercies of his God,
and the happy consciousness of a life well spent,
smoothed the pillow of anguish, and irradiated the
gloom of death, with the promise of succeeding
joy ; in every relation he sustained in life, his en-
dearing manners and inflexible integrity rendered
hinfi truly exemplary."
356 HISTORY OF PRINTING,
SAMUEL DRAPER.
Was the nephew and apprentice of John Dra-
per. He was bom at Martha's Vineyard.
In 1758, soon after he became of age, he went
into trade with Zechariah Fowle, who stood in
much need of a partner like Draper. Their con-
nexion was mutually advantageous. Fowle had
been in business seven years ; but had made no
progress in the advancement of his fortune.
Draper was more enterprising, but had no capi-
tal to establish himself as a printer. He was a young
man of correct habits, and handsome abilities. H&
was industrious ; and, for those times, a good work-
man. Draper was an important acquisition to his
partner, although Fowle did not appear to be highly
sensible of it,
The connexion continued five years ; during
which time, they printed, as has been remarked,
three or four volumes of some magnitude, a large
edition of the Youth's Instructor in the English
Tongue, another of the Psalter ; also, a vai'iety of
pamphlets, chapmens' small books, and ballads.
They so far succeeded in trade, as to keep free of
debt, to obtain a good livelihood, and increase their
stock. Their printing house was in Marlborough
street ; it was taken down several years pince, and a
new house built on its site, which now makes the
south corner of Franklin street, at the entrance fronj
Marlborough street,
UNITED STATES. 357
The articles of copartnership contemplated a
continuance of the connexion of Fowle and Draper,
for seven years ; but, on the death of John Draper,
Richard, his son, succeeded to his business. Rich-
ard was often confined to his house by ill health,
and wanted an assistant ; he, therefore, made liberal
proposals to Samuel, which were accepted; and
they entered into paitnership.
In pursuance of this new arrangement, the con^
nexion between Fowle and Draper was dissolved ;
and Draper recommenced business with a more
active and enterprising partner.
S. Draper contmued with his kinsman until his
death, which happened March 15, 1767, at the age
of thirty years.
While he was in partnership with Fowle, he
married an agreeable young lady, of a respectable
family, by whom he had two daughters. His widow
is yet living.
He had two brothers who were printers; the
eldest of whom*, named Richard, died several years
ago. The other, whose name was Edward, with a
partner, published, for some time during the late
war, a newspaper in Boston,
DANIEL KNEELAND.
Was the son of Samuel Kneeland, and served
his apprenticeship with his father. He began trade
as a bookbinder, in plain work, having been bred
to binding, as well as printing.
358 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
A dispute had arisen between tlie printers and
booksellers respecting Ames's Almanack, the par-
ticulars of which I do not fully recollect ; but, in
substance, it is as follows. John Draper and hia
predecessor Bartholomew Green, had always pur-
chased the copy of that Almanack, and printed it on
their own account; but, they had supplied the
booksellers, in sheets, by the hundred, the thousand,
or any quantity wanted. About the year 1759, this
Almanack was enlarged, from sixteen pages on a
foolscap sheet, to three half sheets. Draper form-
ed a connexion with Green and Russell, and T, and
J. Fleet, in its publication. A half sheet was print-
ed at each of their printing houses ; and, they were
not disposed to supply booksellers as formerly.
The booksellers, immediately on the publication of
the Almanack, had it reprinted ; and soon after a
number of the principal of them set up a printing
house for themselves ; and, they engaged Daniel
Kneeland, and John his brother, to conduct it for
them, under the firm of
Z). a7id /. Kneeland,
The Kneelands continued to print for these
booksellers several years, in part of the building
occupied by their father as a printing house ; after
which some difficulty arising, the booksellers put
a stop to their press, and divided among them
the printing materials. Daniel Kneeland then dis-
solved his connexion with his brother John ; and,
being furnished with the press, and a part of the.
types, which had been owned by the booksellers,
xJjitti-D STAtES. 359
he engaged in printing on his own account, but
wwked chiefly for the trade.
About the year 1772, Daniel took, as a partner,
a young man by the name of Nathaniel Davis. Thfe
firm was
Kneeland and Davis,
This company was, in the course of two 6r three
years, dissolved by the death of Davis.
Kneeland's business before the revolutionary
war was inconsiderable, and it afterward became
still more contracted.
He died in May, 1789, aged sixty eight years.
JOHN KNEELAND.
Was another son of Samuel Kneeland, and he
was taught the art by his father.
He began printing, in connexion with his brother
Daniel, for the booksellers ; for whom they worked
during their partnership, as has been related. When
the connexion between the brothers was dissolved,
John entered into partnership with Seth Adams,
under the firm of
Kneeland and Adams^.
They opened a printing house in Milk street,
at the comer of the alley which leads to Trinity
360 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
church ; this building has been talcen down to make
room for a livery stable.
The principal work of Kneeland and Adams,
was Psalters, Spelling Books, and Psalm Books, for
booksellers. Their partnership continued only a
few years. Adams quitted printing, and became a
postrider. m
J. Kneeland did little, if any, business, after the ^
commencement of the revolutionary war. He died
in March, 1795, aged sixty two years.
WILLIAM MACALPINE.
Was a native of Scotland, where he was bred
to bookbinding* He came to Boston early in life,
and set up the trade of a binder ; and, afterward,
opened a shop, for the sale of a few common books,
in Marlborough street, opposite to the Old South
church. His business was soon enlarged by sup-
plies of books from Glasgow. He removed several
times to houses in the same street.
A disagreement taking place between the book-
sellers and the printers of Ames's Almanack, the
principal booksellers set up a press for themselves,
and reprinted this Almanack ;* but, they refused
to furnish Macalpine with copies either of their
Almanack, or of any books printed at their press.
Macalpine, being thus denied a supply of Ames's
* Cop7 rights were not then secured by law in the colonies.
ttNlTED STATES. 361
Almanack, both by the original printers of itj
and by the booksellers who reprinted it, sent to
Edinburgh for a press and types, and for a' fore-
man to superintend a printing house. In 1762,
he commenced printing ; and, annually, furnished
himself with Ames's Almanackj and other books
for his own sales.
John Fleming, previous to his connexion with
John Mein, was one or two years concerned with
Macalpine in printing'.
Macalpine continued in business until the com-
mencement of the revolutionary war; he was a
royalist, and remained in Boston during the siege ;
but he quitted the town with the British army.
He died at Glasgow, Scotland, in 1788.
lOHN FLEMING.
Was from Scotland, where he was brought up
to printing. He came to Boston in 1764 ; and was,
for a short time, connected with his countryman
William Macalpine.
Mein, a bookseller, from Edinburgh, having
opened a very large collection of books for sale,
Fleming separated from Macalpine, and formed a
pai'tnership with Meyi.
Fleming made a voyage to Scotland, there pur-
chased printing materials for the firm, hired three or
four journeymen printers— and, accompanied by
them, he returned to Boston.
I 3X
36'2 HISTORY OF PRINTING,
ting house
of
Mein and Fleming.
3&2 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
The company then opened a printing house in
Wing's lane,* and began printing under the firm of
Fleming was not concerned with Mein in book-
selUng. Several books were printed at their house
for Mein, it being an object with him to supply his
own sales ; none of them, however, were of great
magnitude. Some of these books had a false im-
print, and were palmed upon the public for London
editions, because Mein apprehended that books
printed in London, ho^vever executed, sold better
than those which were printed in America ; and,
at that time, many purchasers sanctioned his
opinion.
In less than two years after the establishment of
this company, they removed their printing materials
to Newbury street.
In December 1767, they began the publication of
a weekly newspaper, entitled, " The Boston Chron-
icle." This paper was printed on demy, in quarto,
imitating, in its form, The London Chronicle.
The Boston Chronicle obtained reputation ; but
Mein, who edited the paper, soon devoted it zeal-
ously to the support of the measures of the British
administration against the colonies ; and, in conse-
quence, the publishers, and particularly Mein, mcur-
red the displeasure and the resentment of the whigs,
who were warm advocates for American liberty.
The, publishers were threatened with the effects of
* Now Elm street.
UNITED STATES. 363
popular resentment. Mein, according to his deserts,
experienced some specimens of it. The Chron-
icle was discontinued in IVIiiy, 1770, and Mein re-
turned to Europe.
Fleming was less obnoxious. He remained in
Boston ; and, as the Chronicle had been discontin-
ued, the popular resentment soon subsided. He
married a young lady of a respectable family in Bos-
ton ; and, soon after his late partner went to Europe,
he opened a printing house in King street, and
printed books on his own account.
He issued proposals for publishing Clai'k's Fam-
ily Bible in folio, but did not meet with encourage-
ment.
Fleming continued in Boston until 1773, when
he sold his printing materials to Mills' and Hicks,
and went to England with his family.
He more tlian once visited this country' after
1790, as an agent for a commercial house in Eu-
rope ; and, subsequently, resided some time in
France, where he died a few years since.
JOHN MEIN.
Of the firm of Mein and Fleming, was born in
Scotland, and there bred to the business of a book-
seller. He had received a good education, was en-
terprising, and possessed handsome literary talents.
He arrived at Boston, from Glasgow, in No-
vember, 1 764, in company with Mr. Robert Sande-
364 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
man,* a kinsman of mr. Sandeman of the same
christian name, who for a short time was the partner
of Mein, and a number of other Scotchmen, on a
visit to this country with a view of setthng here.
Mein brought with him a good assortment of
books ; a quantity of Irish Hnens and other goods,
and opened a shop in Mai'lborough street, in con-
nexion with Sandeman. Their shop was the old
wooden building at the north corner of the entrance
to what is now called Franklin street, and is, at this
time, occupied as a bookstore. Their firm was
Mein and Sandeman.
They continued in company only a few months ;
and, ^vhen they separated, Mem took a house in
King str^t, at the corner of the alley leading to the
mai'ket, and there opened a lai'gc bookstore, and cir-
culating library.
He was connected with a bookseller in Scot-
land, who was extensively in trade ; and, by this
mean, he vv-as supplied, as he wanted, with both
Scotch and English editions of the most saleable
books.
He soon found that a concern in printing would
be convenient and profitable. His countryman,
John Fleming, who was a good printer, was then in
Boston ; and, with him he formed a connexion in a
printing establishment. Fleming went to Scotland,
and procured printing materials, workmen, &c. On
his return, they, in 1766, opened a printing house,
* Mr. Sandeman was the author of the then celebrated let-
ters on the rev. mr. Hervey's Theron and Aspasio. A type
founder by the name of Mitchelson, I believe, arrived in the
game vessel Avith Mein and Sandeman,
UNITED STATES. 565
and printed a number of books for Mein's sales, and
published The Boston Chronicle, as has been already
mentioned.
The Chronicle wsls printed on a larger sheet
than other Boston newspapers of that day, but did
not exceed them in price. For a time it was well
filled with news, entertaining and useful extracts
from the best European publications, and some in-
teresting original essays. Mein was doing business
to great advantage, but he soon»took a decided part
in favor of the obnoxious measures of the British
administration, against the colonies, and the Chron-
icle became a vehicle for the most bitter pieces, ca-
lumniating and vilifying some of those characters
in whom the people of Massachusetts placed high
confidence ; and, in consequence, it lost its credit
as rapidly as it had gained it. Mein, its editor,
became extremely odious, and to avoid the effects
of popular resentment, he secreted himself until an
opportunity presented for a passage to England,
which he embraced ; and, left this country, to which
he never returned,
Mein had unquestionably been encouraged, in
Boston, as a partizan and an advocate for the meas-
ures of government. In London, he engaged him-
self, under the pay of the ministry, as a writer against
the colonies ; but, after the war commenced, he
nought other employment.
566 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
SETH ADAMS.
i
Served his apprenticeship with Samuel Kne©.'
feind. He began printing in Queen street, with
John Kneeland ; they afterwards occupied a printing^
house in Milk street, at the corner of Boarded alley,
now known by the name of Hawley street. They
were three or four years in business, and printed
chiefly for the booksellers.
Adams's father in law was the first postrider
between Boston and Kartford. When he died, Ad-
ams quitted printing, and continued the occupation
of his father in law.
He died a few years after.
EZEKIEL RUSSELL.
Was born in Boston, and served an apprentice-
ship with his brother Joseph Russell, the partner of
John Green.
In 1765, he began printing with Thomas Fur-
ber, at Portsmouth, Newhampshire, under the firm
of Furber and Russell.
Not succeeding in business, tliey dissolved their
partnership, and Russell returned to Boston. He
worked with various printers until 1769, when he
procured a press and a few types. With these
he printed on his own account, in a house near
Concert liall. He afterward removed to Union
UNITED STATES. 367
.Street, and in addition to the business of printing,
added that of an auctioneer, which he soon quitted,
and adhered to printing. Excepting an edition of
Watts' s Psalms, he pubUshed nothing of more con-
sequence than pamphlets, most of which were small.
In November, 1771, he began a political publi-
cation, entitled, " The Censor." This paper was
supported during the short period of its existence,
by those who were in the interest of the British
government.
Russell afterward removed to Salem, and at-
tempted the publication of a newspaper, but did not
succeed. He again removed, and went to Danvers,
and printed in a house known by the name of the
Bell tavern. In a few years he returned once more to
Boston ; and, finally, took his stand in Essex street,
near the spot on which grew the great elms, one of
which was then standing, and was called " Liberty
tree." Here he printed and sold ballads, and publish-
ed whole and half sheet pamphlets for pedlers. In
these small aiticles, his trade principally consisted,
and afforded him a very decent support.
The wife of Russell was indeed an " help meet
for him." She was a very industrious, active wo-
man ; she made herself acquainted with the printing
business ; and, not only assisted her husband in the
printing house, but she sometimes invoked her
muse, and wrote ballads on recent tragical events,
which being immediately printed, and set off with
wooden cuts of coffins, &c. had frequently " a con-
siderable run."
Russell died September, 1796, aged fifty two
years. His wife continued the business.
368 HISTORY OF PRINTING^
ISAIAH THOMAS.
Descended from a respectable family which
had settled near Boston not many years after that
town was founded. His grandfather carried on bu-
siness in that place^ in a store which he owned, on
the Town dock ; and died in the year 1746, leaving
four sons and two daughters, who were all arrived at
the age of maturity. His second son, Moses, lived
some time on Longisland, where he married and had
two children ; after which he returned to Boston,
and had three more children ; the youngest of whom
is the subject of this memoir.
Moses Thomas, having expended nearly all his
patrimony, went abroad, and died in Northcarolina j
leaving his widow, in narrow circumstances, with
five dependent children. Her friends in Long-
island took the charge of providing for the two who
were born there, and had been left in their care ; the
others she supported by the profits of a small shop
she kept in Boston. Her diligence and prudent
management ensured success ; insomuch that beside
making provision for her family, she was enabled to
purchase a small estate in Cambridge. This place
she afterward unfortunately lost; for being fully
possessed with the idea that the continental paper
money, issued during the revolutionaiy war, would,
ultimately, be paid in specie, and having what sher
thought a very advantageous offer for her house and
land in that kind of security, she sold the same, and
UNITED STATES. 369
became one among the number of unfortunate peo-
ple who lost nearly the whole of their property, from
a misplaced confidence in the paper currency of the
day.
When her son, Isaiah, was six years of age, he
was apprenticed by his mother to Zechariah Fowle ;
who, as has been already remarked, principally made
use of his press in printing ballads ; and by whom
he was soon employed to set types — ^for which pur-
pose he was mounted on a bench eighteen inches
high, and the whole length of a double frame, which
contained cases of both Roman and Italic. His
first essay with the composing stick, was on a bal-
lad, entitled, " The Lawyer" s Pedigree;^'' whicji
was set in types of the size of double pica.
He remained eleven years with Fowle ; after
which period they separated, in consequence of a
disagreement. On quitting Fowle he went to Nova-
scotia, with a view to go from thence to England,
in order to acquire a more perfect knowledge of his
business.
He found typography in a miserable state in that
province; and, so far was he from obtaining the
means of going to England, that he soon discovered
that the only printer in Halifax could hardly pro-
cure, by his business, a decent livelihood. How-
ever, he remained there seven months i during
which time the memorable British stamp act took
place in Novascotia, which, in the other colonies,
met with a spirited and successful opposition.
The Halifax Gazette was printed by a Dutch-
man, whose name was Henry. He was a good na-
tured, pleasant man, who in common concerns did
I 2 Y
370 HISTORY OF PRINTING. J
not ^vant for ingenuity and capacity ; but he might, '
with propriety, be called a very unskilful printer.
To his want of knowledge or abilities in his profess-
ion, he added indolence ; and, as is too often the case,
left his business to be transacted by boys or journey-
men, instead of attending to it himself. His print-
ing affairs were on a very contracted scale ; and he.
made no efforts to render them more extensive. As
he had two apprentices, he was not in want of assist-
ance in his printing house ; but Thomas accepted
an offer of board for his services ; and the sole man-
agement of the Gazette was immediately left to
him. He new modelled the Gazette according to
tlie best of his judgment, and as far as the worn out
printing materials would admit. It was soon after
printed on stamped paper, made for the purpose in
England. To the use of this paper, *' tlie young
Newenglandman," as he was called, was opposed ;
and, to the stamp act he was extremely hostile.
A paragraph appeared in the Gazette, purport-
ing that the people of Novascotia were, generally,
disgusted with the stamp act. This paragraph gave
great offence to the officers of government, who
called Henry to account for publishing what they
termed sedition. Henry had not so much as seen
the Gazette in which the offensive article had ap-
peared ; consequently, he pleaded ignorance ; and,
in answer to their interrogatories, informed them
that the paper was, in his absence, conducted by his
journeyman. He was reprimanded, and admonish-
ed that he would be deprived of the work of govern-
ment, should he, in future, suffer any thing of the
kind to appear in the Gazette. It was not long be-
UNITED STATES. 371.
fore Henry was again sent for, on account of another
offence of a similar nature; however, he escaped
the consequences he might have apprehended, by
assuring the officers of government that he had been
confined by sickness ; and he apologized in a satisr
factory manner for the appeai'ance of the obnoxious
publication. But, his journeyman was summoned
to appear before the secretary of the province ; to
whose office he accordingly went. He was, proba-
bly, not known to mr. secretary, who sternly de-
manded of him, What he wanted ?
A. Nothing, sir.
Q. Why came you here ?
A. Because I was sent for.
Q. What is your name ?
A. Isaiah Thomas.
Q. Are you the young Newenglandman who
prmts for Henry ?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. How dare you publish in the Gazette that
the people of Novascotia are displeased with the
stamp act ?
A. I thought it was true.
Sec. You have no right to think so. — If you
publish any thing more of such stuff, you shall be
punished. — You may go ; but, remember you are
not in Newengland.
A. I will, sir. ,
Not long after this adventure occurred, a ^'essel
arrived at Halifax, from Philadelphia, and brought
some of the newspapers published in that city.
The Pennsylvania Journal, published the day
preceding that on wliich the stamp act was to take
372 HISTORY or printing.
place, was in full mourning. Thick black lines sur-
rounded the pages, aiid were placed between the
columns ; a death's head and cross bones were sur-
mounted over the title ; and, at the bottom of the
last page was a large figure of a Coffin, beneath which
was printed the age of the paper ; and, an account of
its having died of a disorder called the stamp act.
A death's head, &G. as a substitute for a stamp, was
placed at the end of the last column on the first
page. Thomas had a strong desire to decorate The
Halifax Gazette in the same manner ; but he dared
not do it, on account of his apprehensions of the
displeasure of the officers of government. However,
an expedient was thought of to obViate that diffi-
culty, which was to insert in the Gazette an article
of the following import. — " We are desired by a
number of our readers, to give a description of the
extraordinary appearance of the Pennsylvania Jour-
nal of the 30th of October last — [1765.]— We can
in no better way comply with this request, than by
the exemplification we have given of that Journal in
this day's Gazette." As near a representation as
possible, was made of the several figures, emblems
of mortality, and mourning columns ; all which,
accompanied by the qualifying pai'agraph, appeared
together in The Halifax Gazette, and made no trifling
bustle in the place.
Soon after this event, the effigy of the stamp-
master was hung on the gallows near the citadel ;
and other tokens of hostility to the stamp act were
exhibited. These disloyal transactions were done
silently and secretly ; but they created some alarm ;
.p— a captain's guard was continually stationed at
UNITED STATES. 3'!3
the house of the stampmaster, to protect him from
those injuries which were expected to befal him.
It is supposed the apprehensions entertained on his
account, were entirely groundless.
The officers of government had prided them-
selves in the loyalty of the people of that province,
in not having shewn any opposition to the stamp
act. — " These things were against them ;" and a
facetious officer was heard to repeat to some of his
friends, the old English proverb — " IFe have not
saved our bacon.'*'*
An opinion prevailed, that Thomas not only
knew the parties concerned in these transactions,
but had a hand in them himself; on which account,
a few days after the exhibition of the stampmaster's
effigy, a sheriff went to the printing' house, and in-
formed Thomas that he had a precept against him ;
and, intended to take him to prison, unless he would
give information respecting the persons concerned
in making and exposing the effigy of the stampmas-
ter. He mentioned, that some circumstances had
produced a conviction in his mind, that Thomas
was one of those who had been engaged in these
seditious proceedings. The sheriff receiving no sat-
isfactory answer to his inquiries, ordered Thomas
to go with him before a magistrate ; and he, having
no person to consult, or to give him advice, in the
honest simplicity of his heart was going to obey the
orders of this terrible alguazil ; but, being suddenly
struck with the idea, that this proceeding might be
intended merely to alarm him into an acknowledg-
ment of his privity to the transactions in question,
he told the sheriff he did not know him : and de-
574 HISTORY or printing.
manded information respecting the authority by
which he acted. The sheriff answered, tliat he had
sufficient authority ; but, on being requested to ex-
hibit it, the officer was, evidently, disconcerted, and
shewed some symptoms of his not acting under
"the king's authority"-— however, he answered, that
he would shew his authority when it was necessary ;
and again ordered this " printer of sedition" to go
with him, Thomas answered, he would not obey
him unless he produced a precept, or propei- author-
ity for taking him prisoner. After further parley
the sheriff left him, with an assurance thai he would
soon return ; but Thomas saw him no more ; and
he, afterward, leai^ned that this was a plan con-
certed for the purpose of surprising him into a
confession.
A short time before the exhibition of the effigy
of the stampmaster, Henry had received from the.
stampoffice, the whole stock of paper that was sent
ready stamped from England, for the use of the Ga-
zette. The quantity did not exceed six or eight
reams ; but, as only three quires were wanted
weekly for the newspaper, it would have been suffi-
cient, for the purpose intended, twelve months. It
was not many weeks after the sheriff, already men-
tioned, made his exit from the printing house, when
it was discovered that this paper was divested of the
stamps ; not one remained ; they had been cut off>
and destroyed. On this occasion, an article appear-
ed in the Gazette, announcing that ^' all the stamped
paper for the Gazette was used, and as no more
could be had, it would, in future, be published witll-
out stamps."
UNITED STATES. 375
In March, 1767, Thomas quitted Halifax, and
went to Newhampshire ; where he worked, for
some time, in the printing houses of Daniel Fowle,
and Furber and Russell. In July fallowing he re-
turned to Boston. There he remained several
months, in the employ of his old master, Z. Fowle.
Receiving an invitation from the captain of a
vessel to go to Wilmington, in Northcarolina, where
he was assured a printer was wanted, he arranged
his affairs with Fowle, again left him, by agreement,
and went to Newport ; where he waited on Martin
Howard, esq, chief justice of Northcarolina, who
was then at that place, and was departing for Wil-
mington. To this gentleman he made known his
intention of going to Northcarolina, and received
encouragement from the judge, who gave him as-
surances of his influence in procuring business for
him at Capefear ; for which place they sailed in the
same vessel.
A gentleman at Newport, also, favored him with
a letter of recommendation to Robert Wells, printer,
in Charleston, Southcarolina.
When he arrived at Wilmington, he, in pursu-
ance of advice from judge Howard, and several oth-
er gentlemen, waited on governor Try on, then at
that place. The governor encouraged him to settle
there ; and flattered him that he would be favored
with a part of the printing for government. But
as a printer he labored under no inconsiderable dif-
ficulty, that is, he had neither press, nor types, nor
money to purchase them.
It happened that Andrew Steuart, a printer, was
then at Wilmington, who had a press with two or
376 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
three very small founts of letters, for sale. He had
printed a newspaper ; and, as some work was given
him by the government, he called himself " king's
printer ;" but, at this period, he was without busi-
ness, having given great offence to the governor
and the principal gentlemen at Capefear. For this
reason he was desirous to sell the materials he had
then in that place, and to return to Philadelphia,
where he had another small printing establishment.
Pursuant to the advice of several gentlemen,
Tliomas applied to Steuait, to purchase the press,
&c. but Steuart, knowing he could not easily be ac-
commodated with these articles elsewhere, took ad-
vantage of his situation, and demanded about three
times as much for them as they cost when new. Af-
ter some debate, Steuart loM^ered his price to about
double the value. Several gentlemen of Wilming-
ton offered to advance money, on a generous credit,
to enable Thomas to make the purchase. When
Steuart found the money could be raised, he refused
to let the ty}:>es go without an appendage of a negro
woman and her child, whom he wished to sell be-
fore he quitted the place. An argument ensued ;
but Steuart persisted in his refusal to part with the
printing materials, unless the negroes were included
in the sale, Thomas, after advising with friends,
agreed to take them, finding he could dispose of
them for nearly the price he was to gi\^e for them.
He then thought the bargain was concluded ; but
Steuart threw a new difficulty in the way. He had
a quantity of common household furniture, not the
better for wear, which he also wanted to dispose of;
and would not part with the other articles unless the
UNITED STATES* 37'?
purchaser would take these also. The furniture was
entirely out of Thomas's line of business ; and he had
no use for it. He, therefore, declared himself off
the bargain ; and, afterward, when Steuart retracted,
respecting the sale of the furniture, Thomas began
to be discouraged by the prospects the place afford-
ed ; he was not pleased with the appearance of the
country; his money was all gone ; and his inclina-
tion to visit England was renewed. For these rea-
sons he renounced all thoughts of settling at Cape-
fear at that time ; although a merchant there, offered
to send to England, by the first opportunity, for a
printing apparatus, which he would engage Thomas
should have on a long credit.
With a view to go to England, he entered him-
self as steward on board a ship bound to the West-
indies ; expecting when he arrived there, he should
easily find an opportunity to go to London. He
did duty on board the vessel ten days ; but, imbib-
ing a dislike to the captain, who was often intox-
icated, and attempted to reduce him into a mere
cabin boy, and to employ him about the most ser-
vile and menial offices, he revolted at these indigni-
ties, and procured his discharge.
On this occasion he remembered the recom-
mendation he had received at Newport to a printer
at Charleston ; and, finding a packet bound there,
he quitted a very kind friend he had gained at Wil-
mington, and after a long passage, in which he met
with many adventures, beside that lamentable one of
spending his last shilling, he aiTived at Charleston.
When he presented the letter of recommendation
to Wells, the printer, he had the mortification to
I 2Z
378 HISTORY or printing.'
learn he was not in want of a journeyman. How-
ever, Wells civilly employed him at low wages, and
soon put him into full pay. He continued at
Charleston two years ; and had nearly completed
a contract to go and settle in the Westindies ; but
his health declining, he returned to Boston in 1770,
after having visited several of the southern colonies.
He formed a connexion with Zechariah Fowle, and
began business by publishing The Massachusetts
Spy, a small newspaper printed three times in a week.
Thomas's partnership with his former master
Fowle, continued but three months ; he then pur-
chased the printing materials which Fowle had in
his possession, and gave his security to Fowle's cred-
itor for the payment. Fowle had, during nineteen
years, been in possession of his press and types, and
had not paid for them. The creditor was a near rela-
tion by marriage, and had exacted only the payment
of the annual interest of the debt.
Thomas continued the Spy, but altered the pub-
lication of it from three times to twice a week.
Each publication contained a half sheet. After
having published it three months, in the new form^
in December 1770, he discontinued it. On the 5th
of March 1771, he began another paper with the
same title, which was published weekly, on a large
sheet folio.
It was at first the determination of Thomas
that his paper should be free to both parties which
then agitated the country, and, impartially, lay
before the public their respective communications ;
but he soon found that this ground could not be
maintained. The dispute between Britain and her
UNITED STATES. S79
American colonies became more and more serious,
and deeply interested every class of men in the
community. The parties in the dispute took tlie
names of TVhigs and Tories ; the tories were the
warm supporters of the measures of the British cab-
inet, and the whigs the animated advocates for
American liberty. The tories soon discontinued
their subscriptions for the Spy ; and, the publisher
was convinced that to produce an abiding and salu-
tary effect, his paper must have a fixed character.
He was in principle attached to the party which op-
posed the measures of the British ministiy ; and
he, therefore, announced that the Spy would be de-
voted to the support of the whig interest.
Some overtures had been previously made by the
friends of the British government to induce him to
have the Spy conducted wholly on their side of the
question ; and, these ha\ang been rejected, an attempt
was made to force a compliance, or to deprive him
of his press and tj^pes. It was known that he vv^as
in debt for these aiticles, and that his creditor was
an officer of government, apix)inted by the crown.
This officer, notwithstanding he w^as a very wor-
thy man, was pushed on to make a demand of pay-
ment, contrary to his verbal agreement, under the
apprehension that the money could not be raised.
When Thomas assumed the debt of Fowle, he gave
his bond, payable in one year, under an assurance,
that the capital might lay as it had done, if iht inter-
est annually due should be punctually paid ; and
when, contrary to stipulation, the capital was de-
manded, he borrowed money, and paid one debt by
contracting another.
580 HISTORY or PRINTING.
An essay, published in the Spy, November
1771, under the signature of Mucins Scaevola, at-
tracted the attention of the executive of the prov-
ince. Governor Hutchinson assembled his council
on the occasion ; and, after consultation, the board
determined, that the printer should be ordered be-
fore them. In pursuance of this resolution, their
messenger was sent to inform Thomas, that his at-
tendance was requh-ed in the council chamber. To
this message he replied, " that he was busily em-
ployed in his office, and could not wait upon his ex-
cellency and their honors." The messenger re-
turned to the council with this answer, and, in an
hour after, again came into Thomas's printing
house, and informed liim, that the governor and
council waited for his attendance ; and, by their di-
rection, inquired, Whether he was ready to appear
before them ? Thomas answered, that he was not.
The messenger went to make his report to the
council, and Thomas to ask advice of a distinguished
law character. He was instructed to persist in his
refusal to appear before the council, as they had no
legal right to summon him before them ; but, should
a warrant issue from the proper authority, he must
then submit to the sheriff who should serve such a
process upon him. This was a critical moment ;
the aftliir had taken air, and the public took an in-
terest in the event. The council proceeded with
caution, for the principle was at issue, whether they
possessed authority, arbitrarily to summon whom
thpy pleased before their board, to answer to them
for their conduct. The messenger was, however^
UNITED STATES. 381
the third time sent to Thomas, and brought him
this verbal order.
Mess. The governor and council order your
immediate attendance before them in the council
chamber.
T. I will not go.
Mess. You do not give this answer with an
intention that I should report it to the governor and
council ?
T. Have you any thing written, by which to
shew the authority under which you act ?
Mess. I have delivered to you the order of
the governor and council, as it was given to me.
T. If I understand you, the governor and
council order my immediate attendance before
them ?
Mess. They do.
T. Have you the order in writing ?
Mess. No.
T. Then, sir, with all due respect to the
governor and council, I am engaged in my own con-
cerns, and shall not attend.
Mess. Will you commit your answer to
writing ?
r. No, Sir.
Mess. You had better go, you may repent your
refusal to comply with the order of the council.
T. I miist abide by the result.*
The messenger carried the refusal to the coun-
cil. The board for several hours debated the ques-
* This conversation with the messenger is taken from a-
memorandum ijiade at tlie time.
382 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
tion, Whether they should commit Thomas for raw-
tempt ; but, it was suggested by some member
that he could not legally be committed unless he had
appeared before them ; in that case, his answers
might have been construed into a contempt of their
body, and been made the ground of commitment.
It was also suggested that they had not authority to
compel his appearance before them to answer for
any supposed crime or misdemeanor, punishable by-
law, as particular tribunals had the exclusive cogni-
zance of such offences. The supposed want of au-'i
tliority was, indeed, the reason why a compulsory'
process had not been adopted in the first instance**
There were not now, as formerly, licensers of the
press.
The council, being defeated in the design to get
the printer before them, ordered the attorney general
to prosecute him at common law. A prosecution
was accordingly soon attempted, and great efforts
made to effect his conviction. The chief justice, at
tlie following term of the supreme court in Boston,
in liis charge to the gmnd jury, dwelt largely on the
doctrine of libels ; on the present licentiousness of
the press ; and, on the necessity of restraining it.
The attorney general presented a bill of indictment
to the grand inquest against Isaiah Thomas for pub-
lishing an obnoxious libel. The court house was
crowded from day to day to learn the issue. The
grand jury returned this bill, Ignoramus. Foiled
by the grand jury in this mode of prosecution, the
attorney general was directed to adopt a different
process ; and to file an information against Thomas.
This direction of the court was soon known to the
1
UNITED STATES. 38S
writers in the opposition, who attacked it with so
much warmth and animation, and offered such co-
gent arguments to prove that it infringed the rights
and Uberties of the sulDJect, that the court thought
proper to drop the measure. Unable to convict the
printer either by indictment or information in Suf-
folk, a proposal was made to prosecute him in some
other county, under the following pretext. — The
printers of newspapers circulate them tlirough the
province ; and, of course, publish them as exten-
sively as they are circulated. Thomas, for in-
stance, circulates the Spy in the county of Essex,
and as truly pubhshes the libel in that county, as in
Suffolk where the paper is printed. The fallacy of
this argument was made appai*ent ; the measure was
not adopted, and government, for that time, gave
over the prosecution ; but, on a subsequent occa-
sion, some attempts of that kind were renew-
ed.*
It became at length apparent to all reflecting
men, that hostilities must soon take place between
Greatbritain and her American colonies. Thomas
had rendered himself very obnoxious to the friends
of the British administration ; and, in consequence,
the tories, and some of the British soldiery in the
town, openly threatened him with the effects of their
resentment.
For these and other reasons, he was induced to
pack up, privately, a press and types, and to send
them, in the night, over Charles river, to Charles-
* On account of some essays addressed to the King, pub-
lished in the Spy in September 1772, and at other periods.
384 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
town, whence they were conveyed to Worcestef.'
This was only a few days before the affau- at Lex-
ington.
The press and types constituted the whole of
the property he saved from the proceeds of five years
labor ; the remainder was destroyed, or carried oiF
by the followers and adherents of the royal army,
when it quitted Boston.
On the night of April 18, 1775, it was discover-
ed that a considerable number of British troops were
embai'king in boats on the river near the common,
with the manifest design to destroy the stores col-
lected by the provincials, at Concord, eighteen miles
from Boston; and he was concerned, with others,
in giving the alarm. At day break, the next morn-
ing, he crossed over to Charlestown, went to Lex-
ington, and joined the provincial militia in opposing
the King's troops. On the 20th, he went to Wor-
cester, opened a printing house, and soon after re-
commenced the publication of his newspaper.*
The provincial congress assembled at Water-
town proposed that Thomas's press should be re-
moved to that place ; but, as all concerns of a pub-
lic nature were then in a state of derangement, it
was finally determined, that his press should remain
at Worcester ; and, that postriders should be estab-
lished to facilitate an intercourse between that place,
Watertown and Cambridge ; and, at Worcester
* The publication of the Spy ceased for three weeks. It
appeared from the press in Worcester, May 3d, 1775. This
was the first printing done in any inland town in Newengland.
UNITED STATES. 385
he Continued to print for Congress until a press was
established at Cambridge and at Watertown.
During the time he had been in business at Bos-
ton, he had published a number of pamphlets^ but
not many books of more consequence.
Having made an addition to his printing mate-
rials, in 1773, he sent a press and types to New-
buryport,* and committed the management of the
same to a young printer, whom he soon after took
into partnership in his concerns in that place ; and
in December of the same year, he began the publi-
cation of a newspaper in that town. His partner
managed their affairs imprudently, and involved the
company in debt ; in consequence of which Thomas
sold out at considerable loss.
In January 1774, he began, in Boston, the pub-
lication of The Royal American Magazine ; but the
general distress and commotion in the town, occa-
sioned by the operation of the act of the British par-
liarnent to blockade the port of Boston, obliged him
to discontinue it, before the expiration of the year,
much to the injur}^ of his pecuniary interest. [^See
TVorcesta- — Newspapers, ^c.~\
JOHN BOYLE.
Served an apprenticeship with Green and
Russell. He purchased the types of Fletcher of
Halifax, and began business as a printer and book-
* This was the first press set up in Newburyport.
I 3A
386 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
seller, in Marlborough street in 1771, and printed
few books on his own account.
In May, 1774, Boyle formed a paitnership with^
Richard Draper, publisher of The Massachusetts Ga-
zette, or Boston News Letter. Draper died the fol-J
lowing month, and his widow continued the newspa-
per, &:c. Boyle was in partnership with the widow '
until August following ; they then dissolved their
connexion, and Boyle returned to his former stand.
In 1775, Boyle sold his printing materials, but
retained his bookstore, which he now, 1810, keeps
in the same place.
NATHANIEL DAVIS.
Served his apprenticeship with Daniel Kneel-
and ; and, during the year 1772 and 1773, was in
partnership with him ; — soon after which he died.
They had a small printing house, as has been ob-
served, where Scollay's Buildings now stand, at the
head of Court street.
They published a number of pamphlets, and did
some work for booksellers. [^See Da?iiel Kneeland.']
NATHANIEL MILLS.
He was born within a few miles of Boston, and
served his apprenticeship with John Fleming.
UNITED STATES. 387
Mills had just completed his time of service,
when Fleming quitted business. John Hicks and
Mills were nearly of an age, and they formed a co-
partnership under the firm of
Mills and Hicks*
The controversy between Britain, and her Amer-
ican colonies, at this period, assumed a \&:y serious
aspect, and government was disposed to inlist the
press in support of the measures of the British
ministry. Mills and Hicks were urged by the par-
tizans of government to purchase Fleming's print-
ing materials, and the right which Green and Russell
had in the newspaper, entitled The Massachusetts
Gazette, and Boston Post Boy, &c. They pursued
the advice given them, and being by this purchase,
furnished with types and with a newspaper, they
opened a printing house in April 1773, in School-
street, nearly opposite to the small church, erected
for the use of the French protestants.*
The British party handsomely supported the
paper of Mills and Hicks, and afforded pecuniaiy
aid to the printers. Several able writers defended
the British administration from the attacks of their
American opponents; and the selection of articles
in support of government for this paper, as well as
its foreign and domestic intelligence, displayed the
discernment and assiduity of the compilers-.
* A number of separatists afterward purchased this
church, and settled as their minister the rev. Andrew Cros-
well. It was taken down a few years since.
388 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Mills was a sensible, genteel young man, and a
good printer ; he had the principal management of
the printing house. The newspaper was their chief
concern ; besides this, they printed, during the two
years they were in Boston, only a few political pam-
phlets, and the Massachusetts Re^ster. The com-
mencement of hostilities, in April 1775, put an end
to the publication of their Gazette.
Soon after the war began, Mills came out of
Boston, and resided a few weeks at Cambridge ; he
then returned to Boston, where he and his partner
remained until the town was evacuated by the Brit-
ish troops. They, with others who had been in op-
position to the country, removed with the British
army to Halifax, and from thence to Greatbritain.
After two years residence in England, they removed
to Newyork, then in possession of the British troops.
In Newyork they opened a stationary store, and
did some printing for the royal army and navy. They
afterwards formed a partnership with Alexander and
James Robertson, who published the Royal Ameri-
can Gazette in that city. The firm was Robertsons^
Mills and Hicks.
This firm continued until peace took place in
1783. Mills and Hicks then returned to Halifax,
Novascotia ; but their partnership was soon after
dissolved, and Mills went and resided at Shelburne,^
in that province.
IGNITED STATES. 589
JOHN HICKS.
Was born in Cambridge, near Boston, and
^rved an apprenticeship with Green and Russell.
He was the partner of Nathaniel Mills. [For par-
ticulars respecting this company^ see Nathaniel
Mills,']
Hicks, previous to his entering into partnership
with Mills, was supposed to be a zealous young
whig. He was reputed to have been one of the
young men, who had an affray with some British
soldiers, and which led to the memorable massacre
in King street, Boston, on the 5th of March, 1770.
Interest too often biasses the human mind. The
officers and friends of government at that time, un-
questionably, gave encouragement to the few print-
ers, who enlisted themselves for the support of the
British parliament. Draper's Massachusetts Ga-
zette and Boston Weekly News- Letter, was the
only paper in Boston, when, and for some time be-
fore. Mills and Hicks began printing, which discov-
ered the least appearance of zeal in supporting the
measures of the British administration against the
colonies-r-and Draper was the printer to the gov-
ernor and council.
The Massachusetts Gazette and Post-Boy, &c.
printed by Green and Russell, was rather a dull
recorder of common occurrences; its publishers,
although encouraged by printing for the custom
1
390 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
house, and by other profitable work for government,
did not appear to take an active part in its favor.
The dispute with the parent country daily became *
more and more important ; and it evidently appear-
ed, that the administration deemed it necessary that
there should be a greater number of newspapers zeal-
ously devoted to the support of the cause of Great-
britain. It was therefore decided that Green and
Russell should resign the printing of their Gazette
to Mills and Hicks ; and they were animated by
extraordinary encouragement, to carry it on with
spirit and energy in support of the royal cause. A
number of writers, some of them said to be officers
of the British army, were engaged to give new life
and sph'it to this Gazette. Mills and Hicks man-
aged the paper to the satisfaction of their employers,
until the commencement of the revolutionary war,
which took place in two years after they began
printing.
The father of Hicks was one of the first who
fell in this war. When a detachment of the British
troops marched to Concord to desti'oy the public
stores collected there, by order of the provincial
congress, Hicks's father was among the most for-
ward to fly to arms, in order to attack this detach-
ment on its return to Boston, after having killed a
number of Americans at Lexington, and partially
executed the design of the expedition to Concord ;
and, in the defence of his country, he lost his life.
Notwithstanding this sacrifice of his father on
the altai' of liberty. Hicks still adhered to the Brit-
ish, and remained with the royal army, supporting^
^ a printer, their cause, until a peace was conclud-
UNITED STATES. 391
ed, by the acknowledgment of the Independence of
the United States.
When the British aiTny quitted Ne^vyork, Hicks,
with many other American loyahsts, went with them
to HaHfax. After remaining there a few years, he
returned to Boston. Having acquired a very con-
siderable property by his business during the war,
he purchased a handsome estate at Ne^vtown, on
which he resided until his death.
JOSEPH GREENLEAF.
Was a justice of the peace for the county of
Plymouth, and lived at Abington, Massachusetts.
He possessed some talents as a popular writer ;
and, in consequence, was advised in 1771, to re-
move into Boston, and write, occasionally, on the
side of the patriots. He furnished a number of
pieces for the Massachusetts Spy. These display-
ed an ardent zeal in the cause of American liberty ;
and, in the then state of the popular mind, amidst
many pungent, and some more elegantly ^vi'itten
communications, they produced a salutary effect.
Not long after he came to Boston, a piece under
the signature of Mucins Scsevola, as has been al-
ready mentioned, appeared in the Massachusetts
Spy, which attracted the attention of the governor
and council of Massachusetts ; they sent for Thomas,
the printer, but he did not appear before them.
Greenleaf, who was suspected of being concerned
392 HISTORY OF PRINTING. ■
in the publication of that paper, was also required
to attend in the council chamber ; but, he did not
make his appearance before this board. The coun-
cil then advised the governor to take from Green-
leaf his commission of a justice of the peace, as he
" was generally reputed to be concerned with Isaiah
Thomas in printing and publishing a newspaper
called the Massachusetts Spy." Greenleaf was ac-
cordingly dismissed as a magistrate.
In 1773, Greenleaf purchased a press and types,
and opened a printing house in Hanover street, near
Concert hall. He printed several pamphlets, and
" An Abridgment of Burn's Justice of the Peace."
In August, 1774, he continued the publication
of The Royal American Magazine, begun by
Thomas. The revolutionary war closed his print-
ing business*
Greenleaf was not bred a printer ; he had but
little property, and set up a press at an advanced
period of his life, as the mean of procuring a liveli-
hood. A son of his, nearly of age, had learned
printing of Thomas ; this son* managed his fath-
er's printing house, during the short time he car-
ried on business.
He is now living, and is the oldest magistrate in
Boston.
* Thomas Greenleaf, afterward the publisher of a news-
paper in Newyork.
tJNITED STATES. 393
MARGARET DRAPER.
Was the widow of Richard Draper. She pub*,
lished the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston News
liCtter, after his death. Boyle, who had been con-
nected with her husband a short time before he
died, continued the management of her printing
house for about four months ; and, during that
time, his name appeared after Margaret Draper's in
the imprint of the Gazette. At the expiration of
this period, their partnership was dissolved.
Margaret Draper conducted the concerns of the
printing house for several months, and then formed
a connexion with John Howe, who managed the
business of the company, agreeably to the advice of
her friends, whilst she remained in Boston.
M. Draper printed for the governor and coun-
cil ; but the newspaper was the principal work done
in her printing house.
A few weeks after the revolutionary war com-
menced, and Boston was besieged, all the newspa-
pers, excepting her's, ceased to be published ; and,
but one of them, the Boston Gazette, was revived
after the British evacuated the town. It is remark-
able that The News Letter was the first and the last
newspaper which was published in Boston, prior to
the declaration of independence.
Margaret Draper left Boston with the British
army, and went to Halifax ; from thence, she soon
I 3B
594 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
took passage, with a number of her friends, for
England. She received a pension from the British
government, and remained in England until her
death, which took place a few years since.
JOHN HOWE*
Was born in Boston, and there served a regular
apprenticeship at the printing business. His father
was a reputable tradesman in Marshall's lane.
In the account given of Margaret Draper, men-
tion was made that Howe became connected with
her in publishing her Gazette, &c.
Howe had recently become of age, and was a
sober, discreet young man ; M. Draper, therefore,
was induced, a short time before the commence-
ment of the war, to take him into partnership;
but his name did not appear in the imprint of the
Massachusetts Gazette till Boston was besieged by
the continental army.
Howe remained with his partner until they were
obliged to leave Boston, in consequence of the evac-
uation of the town by the British troops in March
1776. He then went to Halifax, where he publish-
ed a newspaper, and printed for the government of
IStovascotia. He is still in business at Halifax.
I
17]fITSI) STATES. 395
SJLMM
Was the third place in the province of Mas^-
chusetts, in which a press was established. Th§
first printing house was opened in 1768, by
SAMUEL HALL.
He was hcffn in Medford, Massachusetts,
served an apprenticeship with his uncle, Daniel
Fowle, of Portsmouth, and first began business in
Newport, in 1763, in company with Anne Franklin.
He left Newport in March, 1768, opened a
printing house in Salem in April following, and
began the publication of The Essex Gazette, in
August of that year. In three or four years after
he settled in this town, he admitted his brother,
Ebenezer Hall, as a partner. Their firm was
Samuel and Ebetiezer HalL
They remained in Salem until 1775. Soon
after the commencement of the war, to accommo-
date the state convention and the army, they remov-
ed to Cambridge, and printed in Stoughton hall, one
of the buildings belonging to Harvard university.
396 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
In February, 1776, Ebenezer Hall died, aged
twenty seven years ; he was an amiable young man,
and a good printer ; he was born in Medford, and
was taught the art of Printing by his brother.
In 1776, on the evacuation of Boston by the
British troops, Samuel Hall removed into that town,
and remained there until 1781, when he returned to
Salem. He continued in Salem until November,
1785 ; at which time he again went to Boston, and
opened a printing house, and a book and stationary
store, in Comhill.
In April, 1789, he began printing, in the French
language, a newspaper, entitled. Courier de Bos-
ton. This was a weekly paper, printed on a sheet
of crown in quarto, for J. Nancrede, a Frenchman,
who then taught the language of his nation at the
university ; and, was afterward a bookseller in Bos-
ton ; but his name did not appear in the imprint of
the paper. " Courier de Boston," was published
only six months.
After Hall relinquished the publication of a
newspaper, he printed a few octavo and duodecimo
volumes, a vai-iety of small books with cuts, for
children, and many pamphlets, particularly sermons.
Hall was a correct printer, and judicious editor.
He was industrious, faithful to his engagements, a
respectable citizen, and a firm friend to his country.
He died October 30, 1807, aged sixty seven
years.
UNITED STATES. 397
£ZEKIEL RUSSELL.
Has been already mentioned. He removed
from Boston to Salem in 1774, and opened, in Ruck
street, the second printing house established in this
place.
In the same year, he began the publication of a
newspaper, but did not meet with success. He
priftted ballads and small books.
Having remained about two years in Salem, he
removed to Dan vers, and opened a printing house ;
from thence, about the year 1778, he returned with
his press to Boston. [^See Boston — Portsmouth^ ^c.
JOHN ROGERS.
Was born in Boston, and served an apprentice-
ship there, with William Macalpine. He began the
publication of a newspaper in Salem, at the printing
house of Russell, who was interested in the paper ;
but it was printed only a few weeks.
After this failure in the attempt to establish a
paper, I do not recollect to have seen Rogers's name
to any publication. 'He did not own either press or
types.
398 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
MARY CROUCH.
The widow of Charles Crouch, of Charleston,
Southcarolina.
She left Charleston in 1780, a short time before
that city was surrendered to the British troops ; and
she brought with her the press and types of her late
husband. She opened a printing house in Salem,
near the east church, where she published a news,
paper for a short time. When she sold her press,
&:c. she removed to Providence, Rhodeisland, the
place of her nativity, and there resided.
NEfVBURYPORT,
At the request of several gentlemen, particu-
larly the late rev. Jonathan Parsons, a press was
first established in this town, in 1773, by
ISAIAH THOMAS.
He opened a printing house in King sti^eet,
Newburyport, opposite to the Presbyterian church.
This town was settled at an early period. In point
of magnitude it holds the third rank, and it was the
UNITED STATES. 399
fourth, where the press was established, in the col-
ony. Thomas took as a partner, Henry Walter
Tinges ; the firm was
Thomas and Tinges,
Thomas continued his business in Boston, and
Tinges had the principal management of the con-
cerns at Newburyport. They here printed a news«»
paper, and in this work the press was principally
employed.
Before the close of a year, Thomas sold the
printing materials to Ezra Lunt, the proprietor of a
stage, who was unacquainted with printing ; but he
took Tinges as a partner, and the firm of this com-
pany was
Lunt and Tinges.
They continued their connexion until the coun-
try became involved in the revolutionary war, soon
after which Lunt transferred the press, and his con-
cern in printing, to John Mycall. Tinges now be-
came the partner of Mycall.
Mycall and Tinges.
This partnership ended in six months. The
business was then conducted by Mycall, who soon
became so well acquainted with it, as to carry it on,
and continue it on a respectable footing, for about
twenty years ; when he quitted printing, and retired
to a farm at Harvard, in the county of Worcester,
from whence he lately removed, and now resides in
Cambridgeport.
400 HISTORY or PRINTING.'
Tinges was born in Boston, his parents were
Hollanders ; he served part of his apprenticeship
with Fleming, and the residue with Thomas. He
went from Newburyport to Baltimore, and from
tlience to sea, but never returned.
Lunt joined the American army, and finally
removed to Marietta ; he was a native of Newbu-
ryport.
Mycall was not brought up to printing, but he
was a man of great ingenuity. He was bom at
Worcester, in England ; and was a schoolmaster at
Almsbury, at the time he purchased of Lunt. Some
years after he began printing, his printing house
and all his printing materials were consumed by
fire. Those materials were soon replaced by a very
valuable printing apparatus.
WORCESTER.
This was the fifth town in Massachusetts in
which the press was established.
In 1774, a number of gentlemen in the county of
Worcester, zealously engaged in the cause of the
country, were, from the then appearance of public
affairs, desirous to have a press established in Wor-
cester, the shire town of the county. In December
of that year, they applied to a printer in Boston,
who engaged to open a printing house, and to pub-
lish a newspaper there, in the course of the ensuing
spring.
tXKITED STATJES. 401
ISAIAH THOMAS.
In consequence of an agreement with the gen-
tlemen as before related, to send a press, with a
suitable person to manage the concerns of it, to this
town, he, in February 1775, issued a proposal for
publishing a newspaper, to be entitled, " The Wor-
cester Gazette ; or, American Oracle of Liberty."
The war commencing sooner than was expected, he
was obliged to leave Boston, came himself to Wor-
cester, opened a printing house, and on the 3d of May,
1775, executed the first printing done in this town.
Thomas remained at Worcester until 1776, when
he let a part of his printing apparatus^ and his news-
paper, to two gentlemen of the bar, William Stearns
and Daniel Bigelow, and with the other part remov-
ed to Salem, with an intention to commence busi-
ness in that place ; but, many obstructions to tlie
plan arising in consequence of the war, he sold the
printing materials which he carried to that town ;
and, in 1778, returned to Worcester, took into pos-
session the press which he had left there, and re-
sumed the publication of the Spy.
He received his types worn down, and found
paper, wretchedly as it was then manufactured, dif-
ficult to be obtained ; but, in a few months, he was
fortunate enough to purchase some new types which
were taken in a vessel from London. After some
time, he also procured paper, which was superior in
quality to what was generally manufactured at that
I 3 C
402 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
period ; and, thus he was enabled to keep his print-
ing business alive whilst the war continued.
During two or three years he was concerned
with Joseph Trumbull in a medicinal store.
On the establishment of peace, an intercourse
was opened with Europe, and he procured a liberal
supply of new printing materials, and engaged in
book printing ; opened a bookstore, and united the
two branches of printirtg and bookselling.
In September, 1788, he recommenced printing
in Boston, and at the same time opened a book-
store there. At first, the business was managed by
three jxirtners, under the firm of /. Thomas and Co»
—but one of the partners leaving the company,
Thomas formed a copartnership with the other,
Ebenezer T. Andrews, who had served his appren-
ticeship with him, and the house took the firm of
Thomas and Andrews^ which still continues.
In 1793, he set up a press, and opened a book-
store, at Walpole, Newhampshire, where he began
the publication of a newspaper, entitled. The Farm-
er's Museum. This paper is still published.
In 1794, he opened another printing house and a
bookstore at Brook field, Massachusetts.
All these concerns were managed by partners,
and distinct from his business in Worcester ; where
he continued to reside, and to carry on printing and
bookselling on his sole account. At Worcester, he
also erected a papermill, and set up a bindery ; and
was thus enabled to go tlu'ough the whole process
of manufacturing books.
In 1794, he and his partner at Boston extended
a branch of their bookselling business ta Baltimore.
k
UNITED STATES. «U3
The house there estafoiisbed was known by the firm
of Thomas <, Andrews and Butler; and, in 1796,
they estabhshed another branch of then- business at
Albany, under the firm of Thomas, Andrews and
Penmman^ and there opened a printing house and
bookstore.
The books printed by him at Worcester, aiud by
him and his partners in other places, form a very
considerable catalogue. At one time they had six-
teen presses in use ; seven of them at his printing
house in Worcester, and five at the company's print-
ing house in Boston. They printed three newspa-
pers in the country, and a magazine in Boston ; and
they had five bookstores in Massachusetts, one in
Newhampshire, one at Albany, and one at Bal-
timore.
Among the books which issued from Thomas's
press at Worcester, were, in 1791, an edition of the
Bible, in folio, with copperplates ; and, an edition,
in royal quarto, with a concordance. In 1793, a
large edition of the Bible in octavo, and in 1797, the
Bible in duodecimo. Of this last size, several edi-
tions were printed, as the types, complete for the
work, were kept standing. In 1802, he printed a
second edition of the octavo Bible.
Among the books printed by the company in
Boston, were. The Massachusetts Magazine, pub-
lished monthly, in numbers, for five years, contain-
ing five octavo volumes ; five editions of The Uni-
versal Geography in two volumes octavo, and sev-
eral other heavy works ; also, the Bible in 12mo.
numerous editions ; the types for which were re-
moved from Worcester to Boston.
404 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
In 1802, Thomas resigned the printing at Wor-
cester to his son Isaiah Thomas, jun. and, soon
after, transferred to him the management of the
Massachusetts Spy. His son continues the publi-
cation of that paper, and carries on printing and
bookselling.
[^See Boston — Newbury port'-^Mst, ofNewspa-
persi in voL ii.]
CONNECTICUT.
THERE was no press in this colony until 1709 ;
and, I believe, not more than four printing houses
in it before 1775.
NEWLONDON.
The first printing done in Connecticut was in
this town ; forty five years before a press was estab-
lished elsewhere in the colony.
THOMAS SHORT.
Was the first who printed in Connecticut. He
set up his press in the town of Newlondon in 1709.
He was recommended by BartholomewGreen, who
at that time printed in Boston, and from whom he,
probably, leanied the art of Printing.
406 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
In the year 1710, he printed an original work,
well known in Newengland, by the title of " The
Saybrook Platform of Church Discipline." This
is said to be the first book printed m the colony.
After the Platform he printed a number of sermons,
and sundry pamphlets on religious subjects, and
was employed by the governor and company to do
the work for the colony.
He died at Newlondon, three or four years after
his settlement there.
TIMOTHY GREEN.
He has already been taken notice of, as the son
of Samuel Green, jun. of Boston, and grandson of
Samuel Green, senior, of Cambridge. He con-
ducted a press in Boston thirteen years. Receiving
an invitation from the council and assembly of Con-
necticut colony, in the year 1714, lie removed to
Newlondon, and was appointed printer to the gov-
ernor and company, on a salary of fifty pounds per
annum.* It was stipulated that for this sum he
should print the election sermons, proclamations,
and the laws which should be enacted at the several
sessions of the assembly.
Beside the work of government. Green printed
a number of pamphlets on religious subjects, par-
ticularly sermons. It has been said of him, that
^vhenever he heard a sermon which he highly ap-
* TrumljuU'fl Hfetpry of Connecticut *
UNITED STATES. 407
proved, he would solicit a copy of the author, and
print it for his own sales. This honest zeal in the
cause of religion often proved injurious to his in-
terest. Large quantities of these sermons lay on
hand as dead stock ; and, after his decease, they
were put into baskets, appraised by the bushel,
and sold under the value of common waste paper.
He printed a revised edition of the laws, entitled,
** Acts and Laws of his Majestie's Colony of Con-
necticut in New- England." Imprint — "New-Lon-
don, Reprinted by Timothy Green, Printer to his
Honour the Governour and Company. 1715." He
published, also, an edition of the laws from 1715
to 1750.
As early as 1727, he printed Robert Treat's Al-
manack. The celestial signs for which were rudely
cut on em quadrates, and raised to the height of
the letter.
Some years before his death, he resigned his
printing house and business to his son Timothy,
who at the time was a printer in Boston, and the
partner of Samuel Kneeland.
Green was a deacon of the church in Newlon-
don ; and, as a christian, was held in high estima-
tion. His piety was free from the gloominess and
asperity of the bigot ; he was benevolent in his
heart, and virtuous in his life. He was of a very-
facetious disposition, and many of his anecdotes are
handed down to the present time.
He died May 5, 1757, aged seventy eight years.
He left six sons, and one daughter ; the daughter
died in Easthaddam in 1808; three of his sons
were printers ; the eldest, as before mentioned, sue*
408 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
ceeded him ; the second settled at Annapolis, in
Maiyland ; and, the third was connected with his
father ; but died before him.
SAMUEL GREEN.
Third son of Timothy Green, was bom in
Boston two years before his father left that town.
He was taught printing by his father, and was for
several years in partnership with him.
He died in May, 1752, at forty years of age;
leaving three sons, who were printers, and of whom
due notice will be taken in course.
TIMOTHY GREEN, jun.
Wa s bom in Boston, and came to this place
with his father, who instructed him in the art. He
began printing in Boston, and was for twenty five
years the pai'tner of Samuel Kneeland, as has been
related.
On the death of his brother Samuel, his father
being aged, and unable to manage the concerns of
the printing house, he closed his partnership with
Kneeland ; and, in compliance with his father's re-
quest, removed to Newlondon. The whole busi-
ness was resigned to him. He succeeded his father
UNITED STATES. 409
as printer of the colony ; and, at this time, there
was not another printing house in Connecticut.
On the 8th of August, 1758, he pubHshed a
newspaper. This was the second estabUshment of
the kind in the colony.
After a life of industry, he died October 3, 1763,
aged sixty years. He was amiable in his manners,
and much esteemed by his friends and acquaint-
ances. [^See Boston — Newspapers.']
TIMOTHY GREEN, third of that name.
Was the son of Samuel Green, and nephew to
the last mentioned Timothy. He was born in NeW-
london, and was taught the art by his uncle, to
whose business he succeeded.
The newspaper begun by his uncle was discon-
tinued, and he established another, which is now
published by his son.
In 1773, he set up a press in Norwich, in com-
pany with his brother in law ; this press was after-
ward removed to Vermont.
Green was printer to the colony. In his profess-
ion, and as a citizen, he was respectable ; a firm and
honest whig, and he was attached to the federal
constitution of the United States.
He died on the 10th of March, 1796, aged fifty
nine years. He had eleven children, eight sons, and
three daughters ; two sons were printers, one of
whom, Samuel, succeeded his father, and is now a
I 3D
410 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
printer in Newlondon ; the other settled at Freder-
icksburgh, Virginia, and, in 1787, first printed
" The Virginia Herald." Two sons, by the name of
Thomas and John, were booksellers and binders ;
another son, by the name of William, was an epis-
copal clergyman, who is now dead.
NEWHAVEN,
The second printmg house, established in Con-
necticut, was in this town.
JAMES PARKER and COMPANY.
At the commencement of the war between
England and France, in 1754, Benjamin Franklin
and James Hunter were joint deputy postmasters
general for America. As the principal seat of the
war with France, in this country, was to the north-
ward, the establishment of a postoffice in Newhaven
became an object of some consequence. James
Parker, in 1754, obtained from Franklin the first
appointment of postmaster in this place, associated
with John Holt, who had been unfortunate in his
commercial business, and was brother in law to
Hunter.
UNITED STATES* 411
Having secured the postoffice, Parker, who was
then the principal printer at Newyork, sent a press
to Newhaven at the close of the year 1754. The
first work from his press was the laws of Yale col-
lege, in Latin. On the first of January, 1755, he
published a newspaper.
Holt directed the concerns of the printing house
and postoffice, in behalf of James Parker and Co.
Parker remained at Newyork. Postriders were es-
tablished for the army, and considerable business
was done at the postoffice and printing house during
the war.
Parker had a partner, named Weyman, in New-
york, who managed their afikirs in that city until
the year 1759, when the partnership was dissolved.
This event made it necessaiy that a new arrange-
ment should take place. Holt went to Newyork in
1760 ; took the direction of Parker's printing house
in that city ; and conducted its concerns.
The press and postoffice in this place were left
to the agency c^ Thomas Green. Parker and Co.
still remaining proprietors, and continuing their firm
to the Gazette till 1764, when they resigned the
business to Benjamin Mecom.
BENJAMIN MECOM.
Who has been mentioned* as a printer, first at
Antigua, and afterward in Boston, removed to New-
haven in 1764, and succeeded Parker and Co.
Franklin appointed him postmaster. He revived
412 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
the Gazette which had been discontinued, but did
very Httle other printing.
He remained in this city until 1767, and then re-
moved to Philadelphia. ^See Philadelphia, Ssr'r.]
SAMUEL GREEN.
Was the third son of Samuel Green, and grand-
son of the first Timothy Green, both printers in
Newlondon, where he was born. He was taught
printing by his uncle Timothy, who succeeded his
fatlier and grandfather, in Newlondon.
Samuel Green was the successor of Mecom, at
Newhaven in 1767. He was joined by his brother
Thomas, from Hartford, and they became partners)
\mder the firm of
Thomas and Samuel Green,
The newspaper, which was begun by Parker
and Co. and continued by Mecom, had again been
discontinued. These brothers established another.
Their partnership remained until dissolved by
the death of Samuel, one of the parties, in February
1799, aged fifty six years.
After the death of Samuel, the son of Thomas
became a partner with his father, under the firm of
Thomas Greeji and Son,
This son was also named Thomas. The es-
tablishment continued ten years.
UNITED STATES. 413
In 1809, a nephew of Richard Draper, Thomas
Collier, who had been a printer at Litchfield, was
connected with Green and his son ; but the same
year, Thomas Green, the father, retired from busi-
ness. On this occasion he published a very affec-
tionate and pathetic address to the public.
The newspaper established in this place, by
Thomas and Samuel Green, is now printed by Eli
Hudson.
HARTFORD,
It is only forty six years since printing was first
introduced into Hartford.
THOMAS GREEN.
Wh 0 has been recently mentioned as the part-
ner of Samuel Green in Newhaven, was born at
Newlondon. He was the eldest son of Samuel
Green, printer, in that place. His fatha- dying,
during the early part of his life, he was instructed in
printing by his uncle.
Green first commenced printing in Hartford, in
1764. Until this time Newlondon and Newhaven
were the only places in the colony, in which presses
414 HisraRY of printing.
had been established. He began the publication of
a newspaper which was the third printed in Con-
necticut ; he remained in this town till 1767, then
removed to Newhaven, and there went into a part*
nership with his brother. Previous to liis leaving
this town, he formed a connexion with Ebenezer
Watson, who conducted the press two years under
the firm of
Green and Watson.
Thomas Green is now, 1810, living in Newha-
ven, aged about 71 ; he is a great, great grandson of
Samuel Green who printed at Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts.
Frederick Green, printer of the Maryland Ga-
zette, at Annapolis, is from the same stock, and is
also a great, great grandson of the same Samuel
Green.
Samuel Green, printer of the Connecticut Ga-
zette at Newlondon, and Thomas Green, jun. late
one of the publishers of the Connecticut Journal, at
Newhaven, are of the sixth generation of the name
of Green, who have been printers in this country,
being great, great, great grandsons of Samuel Ga"een
of Cambridge.
EBENEZER WATSON.
Succeeded Thomas Green, in Hartford, from
whom he learned printing. He continued the news-
paper established by Green. Publishing this paper
ITHITED STATED. 415r
was his principal employment, and he became its
proprietor at the close of the year 1769.
It does not appear that Watson was a thorough
taught printer, although he practised the art ten
years.
He died September 16, 1777, aged thirty three
years. He was remarkable for his humanity, anx-
ious for the safety of his country, then contending
for its independence, and devoted his press to
her cause. He was an ensign in the governor's
company of cadets. This company attended hb
funeral ; and he was buried with military honors.
Watson's widow continued the Connecticut
Courant in company with George Goodwin, until
she married B. Hudson.
Goodwin served his apprenticeship with WaU
son, and is a correct printer. Hudson was not bred
a printer, but came into the business by marrying the
widow of Watson. Goodwin became the partner
of Hudson, and they are now very respectable print-
ers under the firm of Hudson and Goodwin.
NORmCH.
This is the fourth town in Connecticut where
a press was established before the revolution. Two
printing houses were opened in this place in the
same year.
416 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
GREEN and SPOONER.
Timothy Green the third, pnnted m New-
london. Judah Paddock Spooner was his brother
in law, and served his apprenticeship with him.
Green took Spooner into partnership, furnished
press and types, and they opened a printing house
in Norwich in 1773. Spooner, by agreement,
managed the concerns of the firm. Their business
not answering their expectations, after the trial of a
few years, they removed their press to Westminster
in Vermont.
ROBERTSONS and TRUMBULL.
Alexander and James Robertson were
sons of a respectable printer in Scotland. I have
mentioned them at Albany, where they began and
prosecuted printing for several years.
John Trumbull was, I believe, born in
Charlestown, Massachusetts ; he served an appren-
ticeship with Samuel Kneeland in Boston. Trum-
bull entered into partnership with the Robertsons,
and in 1773, they opened a second printing house
in Norwich, and soon after published a newspaper.
This company was not dissolved until the Brit-
ish troops took possession of the city of Newyork
in 1776. The Robertsons were royalists; and,
I
UNITED STATES. 417
soon after that event, they left Norwich, and went
to Newyork.
Trumbull remained at Norwich, and continued
printing. He differed in his politics with his part-
ners, one of whom, James, had been in the political
school of Mein and Fleming of Boston ; for whom
he worked two or three years as a journeyman ; but,
politics apart, James was a worthy man, and a very
good printer. Of 'Aleslander I had no knowledge ;
but I have been informed that he was, unfortunately,
deprived of the use of his limbs, and incapacitated
for labor. He was, however, intelligent, well edu-
cated, and possessed some abilities as a writer.
Trumbull was an honest, well meaning man,
an^ attached to his country. His printing was
chiefly confined to his newspaper, and small articles
with which he supplied country chapmen. He died
in August 18Q2, at the age of fifty two years.
SE
418 HISTORV OF PRINTING.
RHODEISLAND.
PRINTING was introduced into Connecticut
about twenty two years before a press was. estab-
lished in Rhodeisland. There were but three print-
ing houses ih the colony before 1775, and only two
newspapers.
Gregory Dextet, a printer in London, was the
correspondent of the celebrated Roger Williams the
founder of Providence. Dexter printed, in England,
in 1643, Williams's "Key to the Language of the In-
dian Natives of Narraganset," and the first " Alma-
nack for Rhode Island and Pi^ovidence Plantations
in New England. ' ' Soon after. Dexter quitted print-
ing, left his native country, and joined Williams in
Providence, where he became a distinguished chai--
acter in the colony. He was one of the parties
named in the charter, and for a number of years
one of the assistants, under the authority granted
by that charter. He was one of the first town
clerks, and wrote an uncommonly good hand ; pos-
sessed handsome talents ; and had been well edu-
cated. From him descended the respectable fam-
ily of the Dexters in Rhodeisland.
UNITED STATES. 419
It is said that after Samuel Green began print-
ing at Cambridge, Dexter went there, annually, for
several years, to assist him in printing an almanack.*
NEWPORT.
The press was first established in this town in
the year 1732 ; and was the only one in the colony
till 1762.
JAMES FRANKLIN.
It has been stated that Franklin was the pub-
IJsher of The New-England Courant. Soon after
that paper was discontinued, he removed from Bos-
ton, with his printing materials, to Newport, and
there set up his press in a room " under the Town
School-House." He did some printing for govern-
ment, published a newspaper a few months, and an
Almanack annually.
He was the first who printed in Rhodeisland ;
but only published a few pamphlets and other small
articles, beside tliose mentioned above. He di^d in
February, 1735. \_See Boston.']
* MS. papers pf the late president Stiles, of Newhaven.
420 HISTORY or PRINTING.
ANNE FRANKLIN.
The widow of James Franklin succeeded her
husband. She printed for the colony, supplied
blanks for the public offices, and published pam-
phlets, &c.
In 1745, she printed, for government, an edition
of the laws, containing three hundred and forty-
pages folio. She was aided in her printing by her
two daughters, and afterward by her son, when he
attained to a competent age. Her daughters were
correct and quick compositors at case ; they were
instructed by their father whom they assisted. A
gentleman who was acquainted with Anne Franklin
and her family, informed me, that he had often seen
her daughters at work in the printing house, and
tliat they were sensible and amiable women.
JAMES FRANKLIN, jun.
The son of James and Anne Franklin, was born
in Newport ; as soon as he was of age, he became
the paitner of his mother, and conducted their con-
cerns in his own name.
He began printing about the year 1754, published
The Mercury in 1758, and died August 22, 1762.
After his death, his mother resumed the busi-
ness ; but soon resigned the management of it to
UNITED STATES. 421
Samuel Hall, with whom she formed a partnership,
under the firm of
Franklin and Hall,*
This firm was of short duration ; it was dis-
solved by the death of Anne Franklin, April 19,
1763, at the age of sixty eight.
They printed an edition of the laws, in folio,
which was completed about the time that Anne
Franklin died. . ,
SAMUEL HALL.
After the death of his partner, Hall printed in
his ovm name.
An account of him has already been given among
the printers of Massachusetts. He remained here
five years, continued the publication of the Mercury,
and found considerable employment for his press.
In March, 1768, he resigned the printing house
in Newport to Solomon Southwick, and removed
to Salem, Massachusetts. \_See Salem.']
* Anne Franklin's brother in law, the celebrated Benjamin
Franklin, who then printed in Philadelphia, had, at that time, a
partner by the name of Hall j gind the firm in Philadelphia was
likewise Franklin and Hall.
422 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
SOLOMON SOUTHWICK.
Was born in Newport, but not brought up
to the business of printing. He was the son of a
fisherman ; and, when a lad, assisted his father in
selling fish in the market place. The attention he
paid to that employment ; the comeliness of liis per-
son, and the evidences he gave of a sprightly gen-
ius, attracted the notice of the worthy Henry Col-
lins, who, at that time, was said to be the most
wealthy citizen in Newport, one of the first mercan-
tile characters in Newengland, and greatly distin-
guished in the colony of Rhodeisland for philan-
thi'opy and benevolence. Mr. Collins took a num-
ber of illiterate boys, whose parents were poor, under
his patronage ; and, gave each an education suited
to his capacity ; several of whom became men dis-
tinguished in the learned professions. Among the
objects of his care and liberality was young South-
wick, who was placed at the academy in Philadel-
phia, and there provided for till he had completed
his studies. Mr. Collins tlien established him, as a
merchant, with a partner by the name of Clarke.
Southwick and Clarke did business on an
extensive scale ; they built several vessels, were
engaged in a trade to London and elsewhere ; but,
eventually, they became bankrupts, and their part-
nership was dissolved.
UNITED STATES. 423
After this misfortune, Southwick married a
daughter of colonel John Gardner, who for several
years had been governor of the colony ; and, by
this marriage, he became possessed of a handsome
estate.
About this time Samuel Hall, who had a desire
to leave Newport and remove to Salem, offered his
printing establishment for sale. Southwick became
the purchaser in March, 1768, and succeeded to the
business of Hall ; he continued the publication of
the Newport Mercury, and made some attempts at
book printing. He published, for his own sales,
several small volumes ; but, the turbulence of
the times checked his pi'ogress in this branch of
printing.
Southwick discovered a sincere and warm at-
tachment to the interest of the country ; he was a
firm whig ; a sensible and spirited writer ; and, in
other respects was qualified to be the editor of a
newspaper, and the conductor of a press in times of
revolutionary commotion.
The severity of the British government, to the
province of Massachusetts particularly, was mani-
fested by several acts of parliament which were
passed in 1774. By one of these acts, the people
were deprived of many of their chartered rights and
privileges. By another, the port of Boston was
shut, and the transaction of every kind of commer-
cial business on the waters of this harbor, was inter-
dicted. These arbitrary edicts aroused the indig-
nation of the people in all the colonies. They loudly
expressed their resentment in various ways ; and,
424 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
the press became the organ through which their
sentiments were energetically announced.*
Southwick was among the number of printers,
"svho were not backward to blow the trumpet in our
Zion, and to sound an alarm in the holy mountain of
our liberties. He wrote and printed an address to
the people of Rhodeisland, which was headed with
the motto — *' join or die !" This motto had ap-
peared in several of the newspapers, as will be men-
tioned hereafter. In this appeal, Boston was rep-
resented as in a state of siege ; which was actually
true ; for the harbor was completely blockaded
by ships of war, and a large number of troops were
quartered in the town. It was also further stated,
that these measures of the British government were
a " direct hostile invasion of all the colonies." The
address was concluded by observing, that " the gen-
erals of despotism are now drawing the lines of cir-
cumvallation around our bulwarks of liberty, and
nothing but unity, resolution and perseverance, can
save ourselves and posterity from what is worse
than death— Slaver)^"
Southwick, by his publications and exertions in
the cause of the country, became very obnoxious
to those who were of the opposite party ; and he, with
other zealous whigs, were marked as objects for
punishment. When the British fleet and army took
possession of Newjiort in 177d, he barely eluded
* The history of those times has been ably delineated by
cur historians, Ramsay, Marshall, Bancroft, Gordon, Warren^
Sec. to whose writings I refer the reader ; as a history of po-
litical events does not come Avithin the scope or plan of this
v'ork .
UNITED STATES.
425
the threatened evil. As soon as a part of the army-
had landed, detachments of both horse and foot
were sent into all parts of the town to arrest the pat-
riots, who were endeavoring to eifect an escape.
Southwick, his wife, with a child in her arms, and
some other persons, had got on board an open boat,
and were just putting off from the shore, into a very
rough sea, occasioned by a high wind, when a party
of soldiers who were in pursuit of them, came in
sight. Southwick's wife had a brother who was a
royalist ; and, as such, was known to the British
officers; he, however, wished to secure the re-
treat of his sister and her husband. Aware of their
danger, this brother put himself in the way of
their pursuers ; and, for a few moments, arrested
their attention, by giving them information of the
several parts of the town whence the proscribed
whigs would probably attempt to make their re-
treat, &c. This friendly interference gave South-
wick and his friends time to get a few rods from the
shore before the party arrived at the spot they had
just quittedk The boat was yet within reach of
their shot. The soldiers fired at them, but without
effect. The passengers fortunately received no in-
jury, and were soon wafted to a place of safety.
Southwick was, at this time, a member of the
general assembly of Rhodeisland. He owned two
new houses in Newport ; these, with other property
which he left at that place, were destroyed. He
sought an asylum in Attleborough, on the frontier
of Massachusetts, and there erected a press ; but
being soon after appointed commissary geperal of
I 3 F
426 HISTORY OF PRINTING^
issues for the state of Rhodeislaud, he removed to
Providence.
As soon as the British troops evacuated New-
port, he returned to that town, and resumed the
pubhcation of his newspaper, which he continued
till the year 1787, when, by ill health, and embar-
rassed circumstances, he was obliged to relinquish
business, and to place the Mercury in other hands.
His pecuniary concerns were greatly impaired by
the rapid depreciation of the paper currency, before
the establishment of peace. He, like many others,
cherished a belief that the nominal sum, specified in
the bills, would eventually be made good in specie.
The impracticability of the thing was not consider-
ed, even when one hundred dollars in paper would
purchase but one of silver. The delusion was not
discovered by some till they found themselves in-
volved in ruin. Tlie government of the union were
indebted to Southwick both for his services and for
money loaned. This debt, like others of the kind,
was liquidated by notes known by the name of final
settlement, tn the course of some months after
they were issued, they were sold in the market for
one eighth part of tlieir nominal value. To this de-
preciated state was national paper reduced, before
the assumption of the public debt by the new gov-
ernment ; and, when it was in that state, Southwick
was compelled to sell his final settlement notes, for
the support of himself and family. He was engaged
in the cause of his country in the times of her ad-
versity and danger, but he had no portion of the
benefits resulting from her prosperity. Assailed by
poverty, and borne down by infirmity, he lived in
FNITED STATES. 427
obscurity, from about the year 1788 to the time of
his death ; and, being unable to provide for his chil-
dren, he left them to make their own way in th6
world.
He lost his wife, who was an excellent woman,
in 1783 ; and, he " went the way of all the earth,"
December 23, 1797, aged sixty six years.
His son, who bears his name, settled at Albany.
He has for many years been the publisher of The
Albany Register ; and, was lately the sheriff of the
•* city of Albany and the colonic."
PROVIDENCE.
For many years, the principal part of the trade
of the colony was carried on at Newport ; at length.
Providence rose to ^mmence and became the suc-
cessful rival of Newport. Printing was introduced'
here in 1762.
WILLIAM GODDARD.
The son of doctor Giles Goddard, postmaster at
Newlondon, in Connecticut, was the first who estab-
lished a printing press in Providence.
428 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Goddard served his apprenticeship with James
Parker, printer in Newyork. He opened a print-
ing house in this place in 1762, and soon after pub-
lished a newspaper ; there was at that time but one
other paper printed in the colony, viz. at Newport ;
yet, after a trial of several years, Goddard did not
meet witli such encouragement as to induce him to
continue his Gazette. He left his printing house,
&c. in the care of his mother, and sought for him-
self a more favorable place of residence.
On leaving Providence, he was for a short time
concerned with Holt, in Newyork, in publishing
Parker's Gazette and Post-Boy ; and, as a silent
partner, drew a share of the profits. After the repeal
of the stamp act, in 1766, he went to Philadelphia,
and there printed a newspaper, &c.
I shall have occasion again to mention Goddard,
who was in business several years in Philadelphia ;
and, afterward, at Baltimore where he finished his
professional labors.
As a printer he was ingenious and enterprising ;
he made several strong efforts to acquire property,
as well as reputation ; but, by some means, his
plans of business frequently failed of success. He
was most fortunate in his concerns for a few years
after the termination of the war. At length, he
supposed that he had become possessed of a compe-
tency to carry him through life, " without hard rub-
bing." In this apprehension, he quitted business,
returned to Newengland, and resided several years
on a large farm near Providence, of which he i§
the proprietor.
UNITED STATES. 429
He now lives in Providence, on the means fur-
nished him by his former enterprises.
Major general Charles Lee, an officer in the
American army during the revolutionaiy war, own-
ed a landed estate in Berkeley county, Virginia,
and left by will one third part of this estate to God-
dard and Eleazai' Oswald, to whom he professed
himself to have been under obligations.
Few could conduct a newspaper better than God-
dard ; he was a capable editor, and his talents were
often drawn into requisition. He, like many others,
was a laborious agent in the cause of his country,
and in many instances where he had neither honor
nor profit for his reward. When the loaves and
fishes were to be divided, aspiring, interested, nom-
inal patriots, crowded him into the back ground,
and his services were in a great measure forgotten.
Goddard, however, received from the postmas-
ter general the appointment of comptroller of post
roads ; and, in this instance, fared better than many
others, whose public services were never rewarded
by any office whatever, either of profit or honor.
This is agreeable to the German proverb, (2Bin0t
pflant^et nen fiaum, unn Det anncre imt nie
acpfi^^l — " oi^c plants the tree, and another eats the
apple." There is always a host who stand ready to
push after and receive the benefits of an enterprise,
who never partook of the dangers by which it was
effected.
[^ See Philadelphia — Baltimore'— Newspaper s^X
430 HISTORY OF PRINTING*
SARAH GODDARD.
The mother of William Goddard, was the
daughter of Lodowick Updike, whose ancestors
were among the first settlers of Rhodeisland, and
her brother was for some years attorney general of
the colony. She received a good education ; ac-
quired an acquaintance with several branches of
useful and polite learning, and married doctor Giles
Goddard of Newlondon, who left her a widow.
After her son had been a few years in business,
she became his partner ; he left the management of
the printing house and newspaper to her, and she
conducted them with much ability for about two
years, when John Carter supplied the place of her
son ; the firm was then
Sarah Goddard and Company,
She resigned the business to Carter in 1769, re-
m^oved to Philadelphia tlie same year, and died
there in January, 1770. [&<? Nemspapers in voL iij
JOHN CARTER.
Was born in Philadelphia, and served his ap-
prenticeship with Franklin and Hall, in that city.
He was the partner of Sarah Goddard from 1766, to
rNITED STATES. 431
1768 inclusive ; and, in 1769, he became the suc-
cessor of William and Sarah Goddard, and proprie-
tor of the Providence Gazette.
For more than twenty years his printing house
was " at Shakespeare's Head, opposite to the Court
House."
He was postmaster before the revolution, and
for many years subsequent to it. He is well ac-
quainted with the art which he practises, and the
productions of his press exhibit evidence of a good
and correct workman.
He was a staunch supporter of the cause of our
country, before its independence ; and, since this
important event took place, he has not lost sight of
her best interests. His printing house is now near
the bridge, and opposite to the market, where he
prosecutes printing, in the same accurate manner,
for which he has been remarkable more than forty
years.
JOHN WATERMAN.
Was bred a seamen, and became the master of
a vessel. Preferring the mechanic arts, he left the
pursuits of commerce, and built a paper mill two
miles from Providence, which probably was the first
erected in the colony.
In 1769, he purchased the press and types
which were, for many years, owned and used by
Samuel Kneeland of Boston ; with these he opened
a printing house near his paper mill, but made little
use of them.
432 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
NEWHAMPSHIRE.
THE printing for this colony was executed
in Boston, Massachusetts, until 1756. Only two
printing houses were opened in Newhampshire, be-
fore the year 1775, and one of these had, for several
years, been^shut. The productions of the press
were few ; the largest work printed was, the laws
of the province.
PORTSMOUTH,
Although this place was the capital of the col-
ony, and had been settled a long time ; yet, no
means had been used to introduce printing into it,
until about the year 1755, when several of the influ-
ential inhabitants exerted themselves for this pur-
pose ; and, in the year following, the press was es-
tablished here, at which was executed tlie
printing done in Newhampshire.
tJNiTEr) STATES; 433
DANIEL FOWLE.
Who had been arrested and imprisoned in Bosi
ton, on a charge of having pubhshed a libel against
the government of Massachusetts, was, as has been
stated, solicited by several gentlemen in Portsmouth^
and, afterward^ encouraged by the government, to
set up a press in that town. He accordingly re-
moved from Boston to Portsmouth in July 1756,
and soon after published a newspaper.
Fowle did but little at book printing, his princi-
pal business consisted in publishing the newspaper.
He was appointed printer to the government, and
the laws, &c. were issued from his press.
In September 1764, he took his nephew, Robert
Fowle, as his partner. The firm of the company was
Daniel and Robert Fowle.
They remained together until 1774, when thejr
separated, and Robert soon after removed to Exeter.
D. Fowle continued in business until his death,
but he did not acquire much property. He married
into a Ytxj respectable family in Boston, some years
before he removed from that town, but he had no
childi'en. He received the commission of a maaris-
trate a short time after he settled at Portsmouth.
He was a correct printer, and industrious. la
his disposition he was pacific, agreeable in his man-
ners, liberal in his sentiments, and attached to tlie
cause of his country.
I 3 a
434 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
He died in June 1787, aged 72 yeai's, [See
Boston — Hist. Nexvsp.']
THOMAS FURBER.
Was born in Portsmouth, and served his ap-
prenticeship with D. Fowle.
Some zealous whigs, who thought the Fowles
were too timid in the cause of liberty, or their press
too much under the influence of the officers of the
crown, encouraged Furber to set up a second press
in the province ; he, in consequence opened a print-
ing house in Portsmouth, toward the end of 1764,
and soon after published a newspaper. In 1765,
he received as a partner Ezekiel Russell, Their
fu-m was
Furber and Russell.
Excepting the newspaper, they printed only a
itw hand bills and blanks. The company became
embaiTassed ; and, in less tlian a year, its concerns
terminated ; and the paitnership was dissolved.
Upon tlie dissolution of the firm, the press
and types were purchased by the Fowles. Furber
became their journeyman, and Russell went to
Boston.
Furber had been taught plain binding ,- he un-
dertook to connect it with printing ; and, although
he was not very skilful, either as a printer or as a
binder, he began the world under favorable circum-
stances ; and, had he been attentive to his affairs,
UNITED STATES. 455
he might have been successful ; he was good na*
tured and friendly, but naturally indolent ; and, like
too many others, gave himself up to the enjoyment
of a companion, when he should have been attend-
ing to his business.
He died in Portsmouth many years since, and
left a widow and several children.
EXETER.
A DIFFERENCE in the political sentiments of
D. and R. Fowle, printers and copaitners at Ports-
mouth, was the cause of their separation in 1774 ;
and, probably, the means of the establishment of
a press in Exeter.
ROBERT FOWLE.
Was the son of John Fowle, who was several
'years a silent partner with Rogers and Fowle in
Boston, and, afterward, an episcopal clergyman at
Norwalk in Connecticut.
He served his apprenticeship with his uncle, at
Portsmouth ; and, when of age, became his partner,
as has been mentioned. This copartnership being
436 HISTORY OF PRINTING.'
ended, they divided their printing materials. Rob-
ert, who was neither a skilful nor a correct printer,
took the press and types which had been used by
Furber, and settled at Exeter,
He did some work for the old government ; and,
\n 1775, some for the new. He made several at-
tempts to establish a newspaper; and, in 1776, be,
gan one, which he published more than a year.
The new paper currency of Newhampshire had
been printed by Fowle, and it was counterfeited ;
suspicion rested on him as having been concerned
in this criminal act; he was a royalist, and fled
within the British lines in Newyork, By this step
the suspicion which might not have been well
founded, was confirmed. Thus ended the typo-
graphical cai'eer of Robert Fowle.
With other refugees from the United States, he
was placed upon the British pension list. Some
l4me after the establishment of peace, he returned
to this country, married the widow of his younger-
brother, who had succeeded him at Exeter, and
resided in Newhampshire until he died. Robert
fowle had very respectable connexions.
JVotes^
TO VOLUME I.
[a] Pc5-e63.
THIS Bible is now in a good state of preservation ; ther©
is not a leaf lost or torn ; and it is, I believe, in its original plain
binding ; the covering is leather over thick boards of hard
wood, shaped to the work. By a written certificate on a spare
leaf at the end of the volume, it appears that this copy was
sold to a clergyman ninety six years after it was printed. The
certificate was probably made by the son and apprentice of a
bookseller, named Sadler, and is as follows — " I that have
written my name hereunder sold this booke to Edmund Reeve,
Gierke, for 18^ and I warrant unto him, that it is perfect, but
if hee findeth that any leafe is wanting, I will either supply it,
or retume the 18^. March 15th,l636. [Signed] George Sad-
ler, servant to Laurence Sadler."
[b] Page 89.
CODEX ARGENTEUS. This title signifies the silver,
or silvered, book. The work which bears this name is consid-
eredi as one of the greatest curiosities in Europe. It exhibits
a degree of perfection in the operations of the scribes, which,
when we consider the remoteness of the period wherein the
work was executed, cannot fail to inspire us with admiration
and surprise. Many of the greatest literary characters arc of
opinion, that it is about fourteen hundred and fifty years old.
Those who contend for its being a later production, admit that
it may justly claim an antiquity of twelve hundred and forty
years. It was discovered anno 1597, in the Benedictme abbey
438 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
of Werden, and afterwards carried to Prague. Count Ko-
iiigsmai'k, who took Prague in 1648, discovered this work, and
sent it, ampng the literary spoils, and other plunder, of that
city, to the queen of Sweden. To those who have not seen
any account of these ancient remnants of the Bible, the follow-
ing extract from Rees's Cyclopedia will be interesting.
" Codex Argenteus, in biblical history, is so called, from
its silver letters ; it is a manuscript of the four gospels, and is
supposed to be a copy of the Gothic version made by Ulphilas,
the apostle of the Goths, in the fourth century. It is of a quarto
size ; the leaves, which are vellum, parchment or papyrus, are
stained with a violet colour ; and on this ground, the letters
which are all capitals, were afterward painted in silver ; ex-
cept the initial characters, and a few passages in gold. Mr.
Coxe, from a close inspection, was convinced that each letter
was painted, and not formed, as some have asserted, by a hot
iron upon leaves of gold and silver. Most of the silver letters
are become green by time ; but the golden letters are still in
good preservation. This codex is mutilated in several places ;
but what remains is, for the most part, perfectly legible. It
was first discovered in 1597, in the library of the Benedictine
abbey of Werden, in Westphalia, whence it was brought to
Prague, and at the capture of this city in 1648, sent as a valua-
ble present to Christina of Sweden. It afterward came into
the hands of Isaac Vossius, either by stealth, or as a present
from the queen ; and on the death of Vossius, it was purchas-
ed by Count Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie for two hundred
and fifty pounds, and presented to the university of Upsal,
where it now remams. Three editions of it have been given to
the public ; the first was issued at Dort, in 1665, by T.Junius,
who borrowed the MS. from Vossius ; and accompanied with
observations and a glossary, by Thomas Marshall. That print-
ed at Amsterdam in 1 672, is the same with this, having only a
new title page, date and place of impression. The second
edition, published at Stockholm, in 1672, by the learned
Stiernhclm, differs from that of Junius, by having the text in
Latin, and not in Gothic characters, Benzelius, fii-st librarian
of the university of Upsal, and afterwards archbishop, collat-
NOTES. 439
ed the MSS. rectified mistakea, and made a liteml translation
into the Latin tongue. These collations and translations, to-
gether with various observations, were transmitted to mr. Ed-
ward Lye, of Oxford, who published a third edition in 1750,
from the Clarendon press ; this is esteemed by those who
have compared it with the original codex, a complete work.
Two opinions have divided the learned concerning the orig-
inal tongue of the codex argenteus ; the first opinion, that it is
written in the language and character used in the fourth cen-
tury by the Goths of Mcesia, ancestors of the present Swedes,
and is a true copy of the version made by Ulphilas, is strongly
supported by Junius, Stiernhelm, David Wilkins, Benzelius
and Lye. The second opinion, viz. that it is a translation in
the Prankish idiom, is as warmly defended by Hickes, la Croze,
Wetstein, and Michaelis. Mr. Coxe inclines to the former
opinion, which is confirmed in an ingenious treatise of Ihre ;
by which it appears, that several specimens of the Ostrogothic
tongue have been lately discovered in Italy, which perfectly
resemble both the characters and language of the version in
the codex argenteus. However this be, as the Gothic and
Frankish idioms were dialects of the Teutonic or German, this
MS. must be considered as the most ancient specimen extant
of that language. Those who attribute the version to Ulphi-
las, refer its date to the fourth century ; and those who deem
it to be a Frankish translation, allow it to have been copied in
the reign of Childeric, between 564 and 587. Besides, its
high antiquity is proved from the doxology at the end of the
Lord's prayer, Matth. vi. 13, which is not found in any of the
most ancient versions; and, also, from the interpretation of
many passages in a similar manner with several of the Latin
translations which are antecedent to the vulgate of St. Jerome.
Another fragment of this curious MS. containing a few chap-
ters of St. Paul's epistle to the Romans, was found at Wolfen-
buttle, and is now preserved in the library of that town. Of
this fragment Ihre published a new and important edition at
Upsal, in 1763." Cyclo. vol. 2. — See also, Michaelis's Intro-
duction to the New Testament, by Marsh, vol. ii. p. 133—153.
— Coxe's Travels, vol. 4. — Carr's Northern Summer.
440 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
[c] Page 120.
IT is commonly expected that writers should give deHni-'
tions of their terms, or explain the etymology of words which
telate to any art or science of which they may treat; but ety-
mology is one of the most difficult of all the branches of litera-
ture— and although the term Printing is, comparatively, mod-
ern, it is not more easily explained than many other words
which have an older root, or a much higher origin. The si-
lence of authors respecting the etymology of tlie term print-
ing, induced me to attempt discovering whence it arose. I
cannot find that it was used in the English, or any other lan-
guage, in the precise sense we use it now ; though the idea of
marked, or spotted, or having marks imprinted on any thing
may be contained in the English word " ysfireint,''* used by
Chaucer, and other old authors, who wrote before the inven-
tion of printing. The Germans, Dutch, Italians, French, Sec.
frequently used words derived from the Greek verb xogao-o-iir,
signifying that the book was impressed. One of the oldest
printed books in my possession, dated in 1476, expresses the
operation by which it was made thus, " Explicit biblia im-''
pressa" See. The Dutch vei'b JSrinten, which seems to have
been adopted into the English language, was, probably, deriv-
ed from the Latin verb pi-emo, to press. Among the Greeks
the word ^u^xKTke, appears to have been formed from the verb
%ag«<ro-E»», and signified insculpere to engrave or impress J notd
im/iressa vel insculpta aut inscripta. The Greek ^u^uaffu, also
stands for sculpo, i?npri?no. It is certain from the writings of
Moses, and other ancient records, that the art of engraving was
kno-vvn in the earliest or most remote ages of antiquity. We
read of the signet of Judah, [Gen. xxxviii. 18, 25] before the
time of Moses ; and, it is easy to trace through the successive
ages of the world, the custom of using signets, seals, or rings,
to make particular impressions in wax, which rendered the
writings of men in authority valid and binding, in the same
manner as the hands and seals of those who now make con-
tracts are set to their writings. We may, therefore, conclude
tiiut the ancients had words to convey the ideas which these ,
i
Votes. 441
acts created. Although what is now emphatically called print-
ing was not known to them, ihey could make impressions, or
marks, or prints of various descriptions ; and, notwithstanding,
the word translated '■^printed" in Job xix, 23, was not intend-
ed to convey the idea we now receive from it ; yet, perhaps,
the kind of impression, there alluded to, could not be better
expressed than by our word firinted. Thus the Romans by
the participle /iressus conveyed the idea of-imprinted,or mark-
ed, as is evident from the jEterna res ea firessa nota of Ovid.
The participle imp-essusy means the same thing, as is evident
from Virgil, Cratera impressum signis ; and the verb active
imfirimo, is found in Horace, Imprimat his^ cura, Maecenas signa
tabellis. The verb im/iressioy may also be found in Cicero's
imfiressionem setisere, &c. Here we find nearly all the tech-
nical terms in the Greek and Latin languages ; and we may-
perceive, to go no higher, that the Dutch verb JSrinten, and
ours to print, are derived from the Latin im/irimo.
While on the subject of etymology, I will remark, that our
words type, typography, and graving, are wholly derived from,
the Greek tuwoj a seal, or stamp, and y^u^iu, or y^ac-^n?, to gi-ave,
or imprint. The sty his scrijiiorius, grajihimuf or graving tool,
they called y^x(puQi, or yga^i. The Greeks used the terms
yga^EUf, y^ecCpui, y^aipriruo'ay^ yqci(pB^i, y^a^etj, y^a(piy.ug, yga^Jj, &C.
which are descriptive of the various branches of writing, grav-
ing, &c. The implements the ancients used in writing are
mentioned Jer. xvii. 1 . The sin of Judah is 'written nuith a
PEN OF IRON, andtvith the point of a diamond ; it is grav-
en ufion the table of their hearty qnd ufxon the horns of your
altars.
[d] Page 132.
IT is worthy of observation that this workman was sent for
from Holland, during the time that the civil war raged in
England, between the houses of York and Lancaster. The
whole kingdom was engaged in this dreadful contest from
1459 to 1471, during which period the arts could neither
flourish or be attended to. It may be supposed, that king
Henry and the archbishop had matters of more importance to
I SH
442 HISTORY OF PRINTING.'
attend to than printing; and the story of the king's sending
for a " Printing Mould," though not impossible, is, on this ao
count, rendered more improbable. During this sanguinary
war, Henry VI and Edward IV, were twice crowned and twice
dethroned, and peace was not restored until the murder of
Henry in 1471. What became of the printer is not known,
as no account is given of him after he was sent to Oxford.
Probably he left therountry before the war ended, or he might
have been put to death by the i-abble ; among whom the art of
Printing does not appear to have been popular when it first
became publicly known ; for Shakespeare, in his Henry VI,
part second, scene seventh, introduces the rebel, John Cade, as
thus upbraiding the lord treasurer Say — " Thou hast most
traitorously corrupted the youth of the realm, in creating a
grammar school y and whereas before, our fathers had no book
but the score and tally, thou hast caused printing to be used;
and, contraiy to the king, his crown and dignity, thou hast
built a paper mill.'^'
Even admitting that a book was pi'inted at Oxford, as stat-
ed in what is called the Lambeth House record, witliout the
name of the printer, who is acknowledged to have been no
more than a servant to the archbishop, yet Caxton may still be
called " i/ie Father of the English Press." He, with much dif-
ficulty and address, procured that printer and sent him to Eng-
land ; he, afterward, became acquainted with the new method
©f printing with metal types, provided himself with a printing
apparatus, and when the ch^il war subsided, went to England,
and publicly established his press at Westminster. He printed
in his own name, under the patronage, not only of the abbot
of that diocess, but of the royal femily. At that time there
was no other printer in England, nor had there been any who
printed with metal types. If the historians of that day, and
those who succeeded them, can be credited, Caxton was the
first printer known in England ; as they all acknowledge him
to have been the Jirst person who practised printing in that
country.
NOTES. 443^
[e] Page 180.
AS the account given by the reverend dr. Buchanan, in
the appendix to his sermon, entitled. The Star in the East, of
the discovery lately made in the interior of India, of 200,000
Christians, among whom were found engravings and manu-
scripts of very ancient date — is highly interesting, I have
made from it the following extract, viz.
« About the middle of November, 1805, Dr. Buchanan
proceeded from the sea coast into the interior of the country,
northeast from Quilon, to visit the ancient Syrian churches,
situated amongst the low hills at the bottom of the high
Ghauts, which divide the Carnatic from Malayala. The face
of the country In general, in the vicinity of the mountains, ex-
hibits a varied scene of hill and dale, and winding streams.
These streams fall from the mountains, and preserve the val-
lies in perpetual verdure. The woods produce pepper, car-
damoms, and cassia, or wild cinnamon ; also frankincense and
other aromatic gums. What adds much to the grandeur of
the scenery in this country is, that the adjacent mountains of
Travancore are not barren, but are covered with teak forests,
producing the largest timber in the world.
" The first view of the Christian churches, in this seques-
tered region of Hindostan, connected with the idea of their
tranquil duration for so many ages, cannot fail to excite pleas-
ing emotions in the mind of the beholder. The form of the
oldest buildings is not unlike that of some of the old parish
churches in England ; the style of building in both being of
Saracenic origin. They have sloping roofs, pointed arch
windows, and buttresses supporting the walls. The beams of
the roof being exposed to view, are ornamented ; and the
ceiling of the choir and altar is circular and fretted. In the
cathedral churches, the shrines of the deceased bishops ::re
placed on each side of the altar. Most of the churches arc
built of a reddish stone, squared and polished at the quarry ;
and are of durable construction, the front wall of the largest
edifices being six feet thick. The bells of the churches are
cast in the foundries of Travancore. Some of them are of
444 HISTORY or printing.
large dimensions ; and have inscriptions in Syriac and Malay-
alim. In approaching a town in the evening, the sound of the
bells may be heard at a distance amongst the hills ; a circum-
stance which causes the British traveller to forget for a mo-
ment that he is in Hindostan, and reminds him of another
country. When dr. Buchanan arrived at the remote church-
es, he was informed by the inhabitants that no European had,
to their knowledge, visited the place before. The Romis^
priests do not travel thither, there being no church of their
communion in that quarter.
" The number of Syrian churches is greater than has
been supposed. There are, at this time, fifty five churches in
Malayala, acknowledging the Patriarch of Antioch. The
church was erected by the present bishop, in 1793.
" The Syrian Christians are not Nestorians. Formerly,
indeed, they had bishops of that communion ; but the liturgy
of the present church is derived from that of the early church
of Antioch, called Liturgia Jacobi Ajiostoli. They are usually
denominated Jacobitx ; but they difler in ceremonial from the
church of that name in Syria, and indeed from any existing
church in the v/oi'ld. Their proper designation, and that
which is sanctioned by their own use, is Syrian Christians'^ or
The Syrian Church of Malayala.
" The doctrines of the Syrian church are contained in a
f ery few articles ; and are not at variance in essentials, with
the doctrines of the church of England. Their bishops and
metropolitan, after conferring with his clergy on the subject,
delivered the following opinion : " That an union with the
English church, or at least such a connexion as should appear
to both churches practicable and expedient, would be a happy-
event, and favorable to the advancement of religion." It is in
contemplation to send to England some of the Syrian youth,
for education and ordination.
"The present bishop. Mar Dionysius, is a native of Ma-
layala, but of Syrian extraction. He is a man of respectable
character in his nation, and exercises himself in the pious dis-
charge of the duties of his high office. He isnow seventy eight
years of age, and possesses a venerable aspect, his white begird
NOTES. 445
descending low to his girdle. On public occasions he wears
the episcopal mitre ; and is robed in a white vestment, which
covers long garments of red silk ; and, in his hand he holds
the pastoral staff. The first native bishop was ordained by
the Romish church in 1663 ; but he was of the Romish com-
munion. Since that period, the old Syrians have continued,
till lately, to receive their bishops from Aiitioch ; but that an-
cient patriarchate being now nearly extinct, and incompetent
to the appointment of learned men, the Christian church in
Malayala looks henceforth to Britain for the continuance of
that light which has shone so long in this dark region of the
world.
" From information given by the Syrian Christians, it
would appear that the churches of Mesopotamia and Syria,
(^215 in number) with which they are connected, are strug-
gling with great difficulties, and merely owe their existence
to some deference of their antiquity. There are two circum-
stances which invite us to turn our eyes to the country of " the
first generation of men." The tolerant spirit of the Waha-
bian Mahomedans, is a fair prognostic ; and promises to aid
our endeavors to restore to an ancient community of Christians
the blessings of knowledge and religious liberty. Another
favorable circumstance is, that some of the churches in Meso-
potamia, in one of which the Patriarch of Antioch now re-
sides, are said still to remain in their pristine state, and to have
preserved their archives and ancient manuscript libraries. A
domestic priest of the patriarch, now in Cochin, vouches for
the truth of this fact. We know, from authentic history, that
the churches between the rivers escaped the general desola-
tion of the Mahomedan conquest, in the seventh century, by
joining arms with the Mahomedans against the Greek Christ-
ians, who had been their oppressors. The revival of religion
and letters in that once highly favored land, in the heart of the
ancient world, would be, in the present circumstances of man-
kind, an auspicious event.
" The Syrian Christians in Malayala still use the Syriac
language in their churches ; but the Malayalim, or proper
Malabar, (a dialect distinct from the Tamul) is the vernacular
416 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
tongue. They have made some attempts to translate the
Syriac scriptores iato Malayalim ; but have not hitherto had
the suitable means of effecting it. When a proposal was
made of sending a Malayalim translation to each of their fifty
five churches, as a standard book, on condition that they would
transcribe it, and circulate the copies among the people— the
elder replied, That so great was the desii-e of the people in
general, to have the Bible in the vulgar tongue, that it might
be expected that every man iif/io could writcy would make a
copy on atlasy (palm leaves) for his own family.
" It ought to be mentioned, to the praise of the present
bishop of the Romish church on the coast of Malabar, that he
bas consented to the cii'culation of the Scriptures throughout
his diocess. The Malayalim translation acquires, from this
circumstance, an increased importanse, since there will be
now upwards of 20,000 Christians in Malayala who are ready
to receive it- The translation of the New Testament, (which
it is proposed to print first) has already commenced, under tlie
auperintendence of the Syrian bishop. The true cause of the
low state of religion amongst the Romish churches on the sea
codst and in Ceylon, is their want of the Bible. All who ai"e
well acquainted withtlie natives, know that instruction bybookt
is Ijcst suited to them. They are in general a contemplative
jjeople, and patient in their inquiries ; curious also to know
what it can be that is of importance enough to be written — at
the sai-Qe time tliat tiiey regard written precept with respect.
If they possess a book in a language which they understand, it
will not be left long unread. In Tanjore, and other places
where the Bible is freely given, the Protestant religion flour-
ishes; and produces tlie happiest effects on the character of
the people. In Tanjore, the Christian virtues will be found
ill exercise by the feeble minded Hindoo, in a vigor and purity
which will surprise tliose who have never known the native
character but under the greatest disadvantages. On the Sun-
day, the people, habited in their best apparel, repair to the
parish church, where the solemnity of their devotion in ac-
companymg the public prayers, is truly impressive. They
sing the old Pscdm tunes well } and the voice of the full con»
KOTES. 447
gregafion may lje heard aft a distance. Prayeys feeing ended,
they listen to the sermon, evidently with deep attention ; nor
iiave they any difficulty in understanding it, for they almost
all, both men and women, can read their Bible. M^iy of
them take down the discourse on oUas^ that they may read it
afterwartls to their families at home.* As soon as the minis-
ter has pronounced the text, the sound of the iron style on ti^e
palm leaf is heard throughout the ccmgregation. Even the
boys of the scliools have their ollas in their hands ; and may
be seen aftei' divine service reading them to their mothers, as
they pass over the fields homewards.
*' When the Syrian Christians understood that the propos-
ed Malayalan translation was to accord with the English Bible,
they desired to know on what authorities our translation had
t>een made ; alleging, that they themselves possessed a ver-
sion of undoubted antiquity, namely, that used by the first
Christians at Antioch ; and that they could not depai-t fix)m
the reading of that version. This observation led to the in-
vestigation of the ancient Syrio Chaldaic manuscripts in Ma-
layala ; and the inquiry has been successful beyond any ex-
pectation that could have been formed.
« It had been commonly supposed, that all the Syriac
manuscripts had been burned by the Romish church at the
'Synod of Udiamper, near Cochin, in 1599, but it now appears
that the most valuable manuscripts were not destroyed. The
inquisitors condemned many books to the flames ; but they
saved the Bible. They were content with ordering that the
Syriac scriptures should be amended agreeably to the reading
of the Vulgate of Rome ; and these emendations now appear
in black ink, and of modem appearance, though made in 1599.
But many Bibles, and many other books were not produced at
all ; and the churches in the mountains remained but a short
time subject to Romish dommion, (if indeed they can be said
to have been at any time subject to it) for the native govern-
* It is well known that the natives of Tanjore andTravancore can write
down what is spoken deliberately, without losing one word. They seldon
look at their oUas while writing, and .tan write in the 4afk with flusncy.
448 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
ments have ever formed a barrier between the inquisition at
Goa and the Christians in the mountains.
" In the acts of the council at Nice, it is recorded that Jo-
annus, Bishop of India, signed his name at that council, A. D.
325. This date corresponds with the Syrian year 636 ; for
the primitive Syrian church does not compute time from the
Christian sera, but from Alexander the Great. The Syriac
version of the scriptures was brought to India, according to
the belief of the Syrians, before the year 636 ; and they allege
that their copies have ever been exact transcripts of that ver-
sion without known error, through eveiy age, down to this
day. There is no tradition among them of the churches in
the southern mountains having ever been destroyed, or even
molested. Some of their present copies are certainly of an-
cient date. Though written on a strong thick paper, like
that of some MSS. in the British Museum, commonly called
Eastern fiafier, the ink has, in several places, eaten through
the material in the exact form of the letter. In other copies,
where the ink had less of the corroding quality, it has fallen
off, and left a dark vestige of the letter, faint indeed, but not,
in general, illegible. There is one volume found in a remote
church of the mountains, which merits particular description.
It contains the Old and New Testaments, engrossed on strong
vellum in large folio, having three columns in the page ; and
is written with beautiful accuracy. The character is Estran-
gelo Syriac ; and the words of every book are numbered.
This volume is illuminated ; but not after the European man-
ner, the initial letters having no ornament. Prefixed to each
book there are figures of principal scripture characters (not
rudely drawn) the colors of which are distinguishable ; and in
some places, the enarhel of the gilding is preserved; but the
volume has suffered injury from time or neglect, some of the
leaves being almost entirely decayed. In certain places the
ink has been totally obliterated from the page, and has left
the parchment in its natural whiteness ; but the letters can, in
general, be distinctly traced from the impress of the pen, or
from the partial corrosion of the ink. The Syrian church as-
signs to this manuscript a high antiquity j and alleges that it
JfoTES. 449
has been for some centuries in the possession of their bish-
ops; and, that it was industriously concealed from the Roman
inquisition in 1599. But its true age can only be ascertained
by a comparison with old manuscripts in Europe of a similar
kind. On the margin of the drawing are some old Roman
and Greek letters, the form of which may lead to a conjecture
respecting the age in which they were written. This copy of
the scriptures has admitted as canonical the epistle of Clem-
ent, in which respect it resembles the Alexandrian manu-
script. But it has omitted the Revelations — ^that book hav-
ing been accounted apochryphal by some churches during a
certain period in the early ages. The order of the books in
the Old and New Testament differs from that of the European
copies — this copy adhering less to unity of subject in the ar-
rangement, than to chronological order. The very first
emendation of the Hebrew text proposed by Dr. Kennicott,
Gen. iv. 8. is to be found in this manuscript. The disputed
passage in 1 John, v. 7, is not to be found in it; that verse is
intei-polated in some other copies in black ink, by the Romish
Church, in 1599.
" Thus it appears that during the dark ages of Europe,
while ignoi-ance and superstition in a manner denied the
Scriptures to the rest of the world, the Bible found an asylum
in the mountains of Malayala; where it was revealed and
freely read by up^vards of lOQ churches ; and, that it has been
handed down to the present time under circumstances so
highly favorable to accurate preservation, as may justly enti-
tle it to respect, in the collation of doubtful readings in the sa-
cred text.
" There are many old Syriac manuscripts besides the Bi-
ble, which have been well preserved ; for the Synod of Udi-
amper destroyed no volumes but those which treated of relig-
ious doctrine or church supremacy. Two different characters
of writing appear ever to have been in use among the Syrian
Christians — the common Syriac and the Estrangelo. The
oldest manuscripts are in the Estrangelo.
" But there are other ancient documents in Malayala, not
less interesting than the Syrian manuscripts. The old Per*
I 31
450 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
tuguese historians relate, that soon after the arrival of their
countrymen in India, about three hundred years ago, the Syr-
ian archbishop of Angamalee, byname Mar Jacob, deposited
in the fort of Cochin for safe custody, certain tablets of brass ;
on which were engraven rights of nobility and other privi-
leges, granted to the Christians by a prince of a former age;
and that while these tablets were under the charge of the Por-
tuguese, they had been unaccountably lost, and had never after
been heard of. The loss of the tablets was deeply regretted
by the Christians; and the Portuguese writer, Gouvea, as-
cribes their subsequent oppressions by the native powers, to
the circumstance of their being no longer able to produce
their charter. It is not generally known that, at a former pe-
riod, the Christians possessed regal power in Malayala. The
name of their last king was Beliarte. He died without issue ;
and his kingdom descended, by the custom of the country, to
the king of Cochin, When Vaseo de Gama was at Cochin,
in 1503, he saw the sceptre of the Christian king.
" It is further recorded by the same historians, that be-
sides the documents deposited with the Portuguese, the
Christians possessed three other tablets, containing ancient
grants, Avhich they kept in their own custody; and that these
were exhibited to the Romish Archbishop Menezes, at the
church of Tevelecar, near the mountains, in 1 599— the inhab-
itants having first exacted an oath from the archbishop that he
would not remove them. Since that period little has been
heard of the tablets. Though they are often referred to in
the Syrian writings, the translation itself has been lost. It has
been said that they were seen about forty years ago ; but Ad-
rian Moens, a governor of Cochin, in 1770, who published
some account of the Jews of Malabar, informs us, that he used
every mean in his poAver for man/ years to obtain a sight of
the Christian plates ; and was at length satisfied they were
irrecoverybly lost ; or rather, he adds, that they never existed.
" The learned world will be gratified to knoAv, that all
these ancient tablets, not only the three last mentioned exhib-
ited in 1599, but those also (as is supposed) delivered by the
Syrian archbishop to the Portuguese, on their arrival in India,
NOTES. 451
which are the most ancient, have been recently recovered by
the exertions of Lieutenant Colonel Macauley, the British
resident in Travaucore ; and are now officially deposited with
that officer.
" The plates are six in number. They are composed of a
mixed metal. The engraved page on the largest plate is
thirteen inches long by about four broad. They are closely
written ; four of them on both sides of the plate, making in all
eleven pages. On the plate reputed to be the oldest, there is
writing perspicuously engraved in nail headed, or triangular
headed letters, resembling the Persepolitan or Babylonish.
On the same plate there is writing in another character,
which has no affinity with any existing character in Hindos-
tan. The grant on this plate appears to be witnessed by four
Jews of rank, whose names are distinctly written in an old
Hebrew character, resembling the alphabet, called The Pal-
7nyrene ; and to each name is prefixed the title of M/^w;
that is, Chief.
" It may be doubted, whether there exists in the world an-
other document of equal antiquity, which is, at the same time,
of so great a length, and in such faultless preservation as the
Christiaji Tablets in Malayala. The Jews of Cochin, indeed,
contest the palm of antiquity and of preservation ; for they
also produce tablets, containing privileges granted at a remote
period. The Jewish tablets are two in number. The Jews
were long in possession of a third plate, which noAV appears to
be the property of the Christians. The Jews commonly shoAv
an ancient Hebrew translation of their plates. Dr. Leyden
made another translation ; which differs from the Hebrew :
And there has lately been found among the old Dutch records
at Cochin, a third translation, which approaches nearer to Dr.
Leyden's than to the Hebrew. In a Hebrew manuscript,
which will shortly be published, it is recorded that a grant, on
brass tablets, was given to the Jews, in A. D. STQ.
" As it is apprehended that there may be some difficulty in
obtaining an accurate translation of all these tablets, it is pro-
posed to print a copperplate fac simile of the whole, and to
transmit copies to the learned societies iu Hindostan and in
452 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Europe ; for this purpose an engraver is now employed oft
the plates, at Cochin. The Christian and Jewish plates to-
gether will make fourteen pages. A copy has been sent, in
the first instance, to the Pundits of the Shanscrit College, at
Trichiur, by direction of the Rajah of Cochin.
" When the White Jews of Cochin were questioned res-
pecting the ancient copies of their Scriptures, they answered,
that it had been usual to bury the old copy read in the syna-
gogue, when decayed by time and use. This does not, how-
ever, appear to have been the practice of the Black Jews, who
were the first settlers ; for in the record chests of their syna-
gogues, old copies of the law have been discovered ; some of
which are complete ; and, for the most part, legible. Neither
could the Jews of Cochin produce any historical manuscripts
of consequence, their vicinity to the sea coast having exposed
their community to frequent revolution ; but many old wri-
tings have been found at the remote synagogues of their an-
cient enemies, the black Jews, situated at Tritooa, Paroor,
Chenotta, and Maleh ; the last of which places is near the
mountains. Amongst these writings are some of great length,
in Rabbinical Hebrew ; but in so ancient <ind uncommon a
character, that it will require much time and labor to ascer-
tain their contents. There is one manuscript written in a
character resembling the Palmyrene Hebrew, on the brass
plates ; but it is in a decayed state ; and the leaves adhere so
closely to each other, that it is doubtful whether it will be pos-
sible to unfold them, and preserve the reading. It is suffi-
ciently established by the concurring evidence of written rec-
ord and Jewish tradition, that the black Jews had colonized on
the coasts of India, long before the Christian era. There
was another colony at Rajapoor, in the Mahratta territory,
which is not yet extinct ; and there are, at this time, Jewish
soldiers, and Jewish native officers in the British service.
That these are a remnant of the Jews of the first dispersion
at the Babylonish captivity, seems highly probable. There
are many other tribes settled in Persia, Arabia, Northern
India, Tartary and China, whose respective places of residence
,pqay be easily discovered. The places which have been al-
NOTES. 453
ready ascertained, are sixty five in number. These tribes
have in general, (particularly those who have passed the In-
dus) assimilated much to the customs of the countries in
which they live ; and may sometimes be seen by a traveller,
tvithout being recognized as Jews. The very imperfect re-
semblance of their countenance to the Jews of Europe, indi-
cates that they have been detached from the parent stock in
Judea, many ages before the race of Jews in the west. A
£ict corroborative of this is, that certain of these tribes do not
call themselves Jenvst but Beni-Israel, or Israelites ; for the
name Jeiv is derived from Judah ; whereas the ancestors of
these tribes were not subject to the kings of Judah, but to the
kings of Israel. They have, in most places, the book of the
Law, the book of Job, and the Psalms ; but know little of the
prophets. Some of them have even lost the book of the law ;
and only know that they are Israelites from tradition, and fi'om
their observance of peculiar rites,
" A copy of the Scriptures, belonging to the Jews of the
cast, who might be supposed to have no communication with
the Jews in the west, has been long a desideratum with He-
brew scholars. In the coffer of a synagogue of the black
Jews, in the interior of Malayala, there has been found an old
copy of the law, written on a roll of leather. The skins are
sewed together, and the roll is about fifty feet in length. It
is in some places worn out, and the holes have been patched
with pieces of parchment.
" Some of the Jews suppose that this roll came originally
from Senna, in Arabia ; others have heard that it was brought
from Cashmir. The Cabul Jews, who travel annually into
the interior of China, say, that in some synagogues, the law is
still found written on a roll of leather; not on vellum, but on a
soft flexible leather, made of goat skins, and dyed red ; which
agrees with the description of the I'oll above mentioned.
" Such of the Syriac and Jewish manuscripts as may, on
examination, be found to be valuable, will be deposited in the
public libraries of the British universities.
" The princes of the Dcccan have manifested a liberal re-
gard for the extension of Shanscrit learning, by furnishing
454 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
lists of the books in their tembles for the college of Fort Wil-
liam) in Bengal.
" His Excellency the Rajah of Tanjore was pleased to set
the example, by giving the voluminous catalogue of the an-
cient library of tlie kings of Tanjore; and his example has
been followed by tlie Ranny of Ramnad, patroness of the cele-
brated temple of Ramisseram, near Adam's Bridge ; by his
Highness the Rajah of Travancore, who has given lists of all
the books in the Travancore country ; and by the Rajah of
Cochin, patron of the ancient Shanscrit college, at the temple
of Trichiur. It is understood that a copy of any book in these
catalogues will be given when required. The Bramins of
Travancore consider that their manuscripts are likely to have
as just a claim to high antiquity, or at least to accurate pres-
ervation, as those in the temples in the north ; and for the
same reason that the Christian and Jewish records have been
so well preserved ; which is, that the country of.Travancore,
defended by mountains, has never, according to ti-adition, been
subjugated by invaders from the north of Hindostan.
" The design of investigating the history and literature of
the Christians and Jews in the East, was submitted to the
Marquis Wellesley, before he left India. His lordship judg-
ing it to be of importance that the actual relation of the Syrian
Christians to our own church should be ascertained, and au-
guring something interesting to the republic of letters, from
the investigation of the Syriac and Jewish antiquities, was
pleased to give orders that public aid should be aflbrded to Dr.
Buchanan, in the prosecution of his inquiries, wherever it
might be practicable. To the operation of these orders, it is
owing tliat the proposed researches, of which some slight no-
tices are given above, have not been made in vain."
[/] Page 199.
Extracts from M. de St. Mery's History of St. Domingo.
" Columbus died at Valladolid, on the 20th of May, 1506.
His body was carried to Seville, and there deposited ; and not
in the convent of the Carthusians, on the other side of tlie Gua-
NOTES. 455
dalquiver,as some authors, and especially Oviedo and Zuniqua
have asserted. It was placed before the choir, in the cathe-
dral, under a stone, on which were engraven these miserable
verses, in Castillian, and which are still legible.
A Castilla y Arragon,
Otro Mondo Dio Colon.
" The historians tell us, that from this place it was con-
veyed to Santo Domingo, and there lodged in the cathedral
but they do not mention the date of the removal. The pro-
ceedings of a synod held in 1683, of which there are still some
copies existing, in speaking of the cathedral church of Santo
Domingo, remark, that on the outside of the steps of the great
altar, repose, in two leaden coffins, one on the right hand side,
the other on the left, the i*emains of Christopher Columbus,
and his brother.
" As whatever relates to Columbus, must necessarily be in
the highest degree interesting, and especially to those who
write on the island of SaintDomingo, I was extremely anxious
to procure certain information concerning his sepulchre in
this cathedral ; and for this purpose I applied to Don Joseph
Solano, admiral in the Spanish service, and commanding the
fleet then lying at Cape Francois. The obliging disposition
of the admiral, the particular proofs 1 had before received of
his inclination to serve me, his having lately been president of
the Spanish part, and his intimate connexion with Don Isidore
Peralta, who had succeeded him in the presidency, all seemed
to promise me an efficacious and successful recommendation.
In consequence of my application, Don Joseph Solano, wrote
in the most pressing manner, and I shall here transcribe the
answer of the president Don Isidore Peralta.
« Santo Domingo, 29th March, 1783.
•' My Dearest Friend and Patron,
" I received your Lordship's kind letter of the 18th instant,
the answer to which I have kept back till now, in order to have
time to get the desired information relative to the sepulchre
of Christopher Columbus, and to enjoy the pleasing satisfac-
tion of serving your lordship to the best of my power, and to
enable you to experience on your part, that of obliging the
friend who has requested you to collect this information.
456 HISTORY OF PRiNTlJfC.
« With respect to Christopher Columbus, though the In-
sects destroy the paper in such a manner that the archives arc
full of holes, I hope that I now send your lordship sufficient
proof that the remains of Christopher Columbus are enclosed
in a leaden coffin, surrounded with a case of stone, which is
buried on the gospel side of the sanctuary ; and that those of
Don Bartholomeiv^ his brother, are interred in the same man-
ner, on the epistle side of the sanctuary. Those of Christo-
pher Columbus were brought hither fi'om Seville, where they
had been deposited in the family vault of the dukes of Alcala,
after being conveyed from Valladolid, and where they remain-
ed till removed to the cathedi'al where they now are.
" About tAVo months ago, as some riepairs were making in
the church, a piece of thick wall was taken down, and built up
again immediately after. This accidental event was the oc-
casion of finding the stone case above mentioned ; and which,
though without inscription, was known from uninterrupted
and bivariable tradition, to contain the remains of Columbus.
Besides this, I caused search to be made, to see if there was
not, in the ecclesiastical archives, or in those of the govern-
ment, some document, capable oF throwing light on the sub-
ject ; and, in consequence, the canons have upon examination
found that the bones were in great part reduced to ashes ; but
that the principal bone of the arms had been distinguished.
" I send your lordship also, the list of all the bishops that
have ever belonged to this island, which is a more valuable
curiosity, tlian that of the presidents ; for, as I am well assur-
ed, the former is complete, while in the latter there are sev-
eral chasms, produced by the insects already mentioned, which
are more destructive to some papers than to others.
" As to the edifices, the churches, the beauty of the streets,
the motives that led to the removal of the capital to the west-
ern bank of the river, that forms its port, I also send you some
interesting particulars ; but with respect to the plan asked for
in the ?iote, there is an insurmountable difficulty ; which is,
that as governoi', I am forbidden to communicate it. The su-
perior understanding of your lordship will at once perceive
the reason,
" The following certificates sent by Don Isidore Peraltaj
are now in my possession, perfect in all their forms.
" I, Don Joseph Nunez, de Caseres, doctor of divinity in
the pontifical and royal university of the Angelic St. Thomas
Aquinus, dean dignitary of this holy churth metropolitan and
primatial of the Indies ; do certify that, the sanctuary of this
holy cathedral church, being taken down on the 30th of Janu-
ary last, in order to be rebuilt, there was found on the side of
the choir, where the gospel is sung, and near the door which
opens on the Stairs, leading to the capitular chamber, a stone
case, hollow, of a cubic form, and about a vare* in depth, en-
closing a leaden urn a little damaged, which contained several
human bones. I also certify that some years ago, on a like
occasion, there was found on the epistle side, another stone
case, resembling the one above described ; and that, according
to the tradition handed down, and communicated by the old
men of the country, and by a chapter of the synod of this holy
cathedral church, the case found on the gospel side, is reputed
to contain the remains of admiral Christopher Coluihbus, and
that found on the epistle side, those of his brother ; not being-
able to verify, however, whether the latter be really the re-
mains of his brother Don Bartholomew, or of Don Diego, son
of the admiral. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my
hand. Done at Santo Domingo, this 20th day of April, 1783.
(Signed) D. Joseph Nunez de Caseres.''
" I, Don Manuel Sanchez, Canon, Dignitary, and Chanter
of this holy cathedral church, do certify, &c. \_ivord for nvord
an in the preceding certijicate.~\ Done at Santo Domingo,
this 26th day of April, 1783.
(Signed) Manuel Sanchez."
" I, Don Pedro de Galvez, Preceptor, Canon, Dignitary,
of this cathedral church, Primate of the Indies ; do certify
that the sanctuary being taken down, in order to be rebuilt,
there was found on the side of the choir, where the gospel is
sung, a stone case, with a leaden urn, in the inside of it, a little
damaged, which contained several human bones ; also, that it
* About two feet eight inches, English measure.
I 3 K
458 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
is remembered that there is another of the same description
on the epistle side ; also, that accorduig to a tradition handed
down through the old people of the country, and a chapter of
the synod of this holy cathedral church, the case found on the
gospel side, contains the remains of admiral Christopher Co-
lumbus, and that found on the epistle side, those of his brother
Bartholomew. In Avitness whereof, I have hereunto set my
hand, this 26th day of April, 1783.
(Signed) Don Pedro de Galvez.'*
" I must, however, observe here, that Don Antonio d*
Alcedo assures vis in his entertaining and useful dictionaiy,
under the word ^?«enca, that the following epitaph was placed
in some part of the cathedral :
' Hie locus abscondit prssclari membra Columbi
Cujus nomen ad asti-a volat.
Non satis unus erat sibi mundus notus, at orbem
Ignotum priscis omnibus ipse dedit;
Divitias summas terras dispersit in omnes ;
Atque animas coelo tradidit innumeras ;
Invenis campos divinis legibus aptos,
Regibus et nostris prospera regna dedit.'
But this epitaph does not now exist, and it is even forgotten in
the colony.
" A synod, held an hundred and forty three years after the
perfection of the metropolitan church, makes mention, indeed,
of the remains of Christopher Columbus being deposited in
that edifice ; but without entering on any explanation, al-
tliough it ought to have been recollected that the pillage of
Drake, forty seven years before, had caused the destruction of
tlie archives, and that the insects alone might have annihilated
many important pieces."
[g'] Page 226.
At a County Court held at Cambridge, April I, 1656.
Jn"- Glover* Gent. Plant, against Mr. Henry Dunster
Dcff*- in anact5n of the case for an acct. of an estate of houses,
* He studied physic, became a piacliuoner, married, and settled in Boston.
NOTES. 459
Lands, goods, and chattels, debts, Legacies, and gifts, or other
estate, togetherwith the deeds, leases, and other manusscripts,
and evidences thereof, w*'' by any manner of wayes or means,
eyther have been (or at pr'ent bee) in the possession of the said
Henry, or under his rule, costody or dispose. And of right
due and belonging unto the said Jn"- Glover, by the last will
and testament of his father Mr. Josse Glover deceased, or
Elizabeth his wife, or their, or eyther of their gifts, or by the
last will of W""" Harris deceased or otherwise to him the said
Jo°- Glover appteyning and of right due and belonging by any
manner of wayes or means whatsoever, and, also for debteyn-
ing and with-holding the same, viz'- both the account and
estate, with the effects and proffits thereof and damages to the
said Jn°- Glover thereby susteyned.
The Plantiffe appeared by his Attorneyes Edw. Goffe, and
Thomas Danforth, The Deff'- appeared personally and plead-
ed to the case. The Court having heard the Pl't's demands
and the proffe thereof, and Mr. Dunster's acknowledgm*' and
Answ" wch are upon file with the Records of this Court, the
Jury findes for the plantiffe, as appeareth by their verdict
given into Court in writeing (wch is also upon y^ file) tl\eis
following p'tic"'
Imp'' The Inventory as it is brought in 140 00 00
It. The Presseandthep'fittofit 040 00 00
It. The prise of Mr. Dayes house 030 00 00
It. Debts received by Mr. Dunster 143 00 00
It. Moi-e debts received by Mr. Dunster 015 00 00
It. Rec'^- of Mr. Humpheries 080 00 00
It. The plate mentioned in the Inventory 448 00 00
It. more acknowledged in the Court by Mr.
Dunster one silver tankard, and one tipt Jug,
and a silver plate.
It. one watch.
It. acknowledged by Mr. Dunster 12 Rheani of
refuse paper-
It. The proffit of the houses and lands m Cam-
bridge 177 10 00
460 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
It. Given by Mr. Harris 040 00 00
It. Household stuffe at Sudbury ' 005 00 00
It. The house in Boston sould to Theodore At-
kinson 200 00 00
It. Rent received for the farme at Sudbury six
years 060 00 OQ
It. the Rent of the stocke of 15 Kine 067 10 00
It. the prise of eight steers and bulls and fiften
kine 118 16 00
It. for the rent received for the farme at Sud-^
burj' seaven ye ares 042 00 00
It. the rent of meadow 010 00 00
It. two swine 002 00 00
It. Lead pans 722 16 00
448 00 00
1170 16 00
It. the farme that Robert Wilson now occupieth to be Mr.
Glover's.
It. all the Bookes of Mr. Glover's that came to Mr. Dunster,
whereof he promised to give in a Cattologue.
It. the farme that Goodman Rice now occupieth to be Mr.
Glover's.
It. that Mr. Dunster shall give to the Court, an account ac-
cording to the attachm* when the Honoured Court shall
requii'e it.
Charles Chadwicke in the name of the rest.
Execution granted June 17, 1656.
The Court orders that Mr. Dunster shall bring in his full
account to the Court the 9th of May next.
IMidd. Records, Vol. l.fi. 77, e^'c]
At a second Sessions of the County Court held at Cambridge,
9th (3) mo. 1656.
In the case between Jn°* Glover Plant, against Mr. Henry
Dunster Deff'* entered at the last sessions of this Court, Mr.
Henry Dunster presented his answ' to the Juries verdict in
writeing, containing his account under his hand, also a Catto-
NOTES. 461
logue of the bookes, with some other testimonies in refference
to the case, all w*^'' are upon file with the Reccords of the last
Court, whereupon the Plantiffe not being sattisfied with the
accounts presented. The Court advised both parties to endeav-
our a peaceable composure of the whole buissines, eyther be-
tween themselves or by able men Indifferently chosen between
them. {^Midd. Records, Vol. I,fi. 83.]
At a County Court held at Charles-Towne J\5ne 19lh, 1656.
Mr. Henry Dunster PI. against Mr. Jn°- Glover Defft. in
an action of RevieAV of the suite upon attachm'- to the valine
of two thousand pounds comenced and prosecuted in the last
County Court holden at Cambridge, by the said Jn°- or his at-
torneyes for accounts and estate pretended to be Avith-held by
the said Henry from the said Jn°- As also for the auditing
the accounts, according to the advice of the Honoured Magis-
trates, and for the ballancing, setling, and sattisfying what up-
on the said Accounts is right and just to be done, according to
attachm* dated 12th 4th mo. 1656.
The Jury found a non liquet.
IMidd. Records, Vol. I. fi. 83.]
At a County Court held at Cambridge, by adjournment, June
24th, 1656.
Mr. Henry Dunster [sometimes husband to Elizabeth the
relict widow of Josse Glover deceased] Plant, ag'* Jn"- Glover
Gent. Deff'- In an action of the case for debt upon accounts,
and for rights and interests in any wise appertayneing to the
said Henry from the estate now claimed by the said Jn°- Glov-
er by vertue of the last will of his father Josse Glover deceased.
The Plantive and Deff*- appearing in Court legally. They
mutually agreed to referre this case to the Hearing and deter-
mination of the honoured Bench of Magistrates. The Courts
determination and judgm*^ in the said case is as followeth.
Whereas there hath been soAie actions and suites of debt,
account, and review, in this Court, between Jn"- Glover Gent.
And Henry Dunster his father in Law and Guardian, concern-
ing the estate, under his managcm'- belonging to the said
John Glover by the will of his father Josse Glover deceased,
The premises considered, and the parties consenting to issue
462 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
the whole case, included in the former actions, and judgm*' to
the determination of this Court. The Court having taken
paynes to examine all matters explicitly in refference to th©
whole case, doe find the estate of Josse Glover is Creditor*
One Uiousand foure hundred forty and seaven pounds, nine
shillings and nine pence, and a silver tankard in kinde, also Mr.
Glover's bookes according to Cattologue given in to the Court,
to be delivered in kinde, also tlie price of a house at Hing-
ham that was received of Payntree at fifteen pounds.
And the estate, is also justly debtor, one thousand thre
hundred and thirty pounds, one shilling and seven pence, the
particulars whereof are expressed in an account hereunto an-
nexed.
The Court therefore do find for John Glover, one hundred
and seventen pounds, eight shillings and two pence, due from
Henry Dunster, according to the account, leaving some debts
explicitly expi'essed in the account to the valine of fifty seaven
pounds eleven shillings foure pence to be further cleared by
the said Henry before any credit be given him for it.
Also we find for Mr. Heniy Dunster the lands in Sudbury
bounds, purchased by the said Henry called the farme now in
the occupation of Wilson.
1656. June 25. The Account in relFerence to the afore-
named case, being drawn up and examined by the Honoured
Court is as foUoweth.
Mr. Henry Dunster is debitor £. «. d.
Imp^' To plate 030 12 03
To a tipt Jugg and a watch 005 06 06
To rents of land in CambrS' whiles in Blower's
hands 040 00 00
To rents rec^ of John Stedman for ditto 070 00 00
To rent of ditto rec'' of Richard French 012 00 00
To rent rec'' for marsh land all the time 015 1 5 00
To rent of the slate house all the time 019 14 04r
To the house and land at Boston sold Mr. Atkin-
son 214 00 00
To a Legacy given Jn*- Glover by his uncle
Harris , 040 00 00
NOTES. 465
To utensils at Sudbury five pounds 005 00 00
To rent of fourten Cowes six yeares, at 1 5* pr. cow 063 00 00
To rent of seaven oxen 6 yeares at 20*' pr, ox 042 00 00
To the stocke fourten cowes and seven oxen 118 16 00
To rent for meadow OlO 00 00
To two swine 002 00 00
To one lead pan sould for 001 02 06
To sale of Bookes 026 10 00
To so much rec<* of Mr. Tho' Fowle 099 1 1 04
To rents from Boston and Cambridge 049 06 08
To advance upon the Inventory 020 00 00
To advance upon plate 002 17 06
To so much disbursed in building and other
things upon Henry Dunster's land in Sud-
bury bounds 050 00 00
To the Inventory in Goodes 140 00 00
To printing presse and paper 050 00 00
To Mr. Dayes house sold for 030 00 00
To debts rec"* of severail persons £75 and of Pea-
cock and Sill £8 081 00 00
To so much received of Mr. Humphery 07 1 04 09
To plate and other things that I had vies et mo'
dies, by gift of my wife, not vallued 073 16 11
To plate and bedding for Mr. Harris and Simon
Smith 025 GO 00
To paper — 16Rheams 002 00 11
To 2 oxen and one cow killed for the family 020 00 00
To profits of stocke and crop the first yeare of
his marriage with Mrs. Glover, not yet ac-
counted for, abating for Servants wages and
diet 015 00 00
1447 09 09
To a silver tankard in kind.
To all Mr. Glover's bookes unsold, to be delivered
according to Cattologue.
To a house at Hingham of Panteryes, the value
to be made good
464 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
INIr. Henry Dunster creditor £. «. d,
Imp^* By lands in Sudbury bounds pui'chased by
the said Dunster, called the farme now in the
occupation of Wilson, found in kind to belong
to the Plantifle
By the diet, apparell and education of Roger and
Jn"' Glover two yeares two m°' after their
mother's niariage with the said Dunster till
her death at £20. 086 06 08
By_ disbursem" for the maintenance of Mrs.
Glover for diet and apparrell in sicknes and
health two yeares and two months, after her
marriage with Mr. Dunster, until her death,
with a mayd to attend her at ;C30 pr. annum
By a bill for physicke payd Mr. Ayres
By funerall charges expended for Mrs. Glover
By disbursements for the diet and app'^ of Mrs.
Eliz** Glover 7 m°' with her mariage feast,*
being maried to Mr. Adam Winthrop 030 00 00
By diet and apparrall for Mrs. Sarah and Mrs.
Priscilla Glover, during their mother's life,
being tv/o yeares 2 m°" a peecc at ;C 1 6 pr.
annum 069 06 08
By diet and expences of Mr. Richard Harris two
years and two monthes, it being due from the
estate to him for the interest of £2^0. of his
in the estate at £20 pr. annum 043 03 04
By maintenance of the children after the death
of their mother, viz.
By Jn°' Glover's liberall education for diet, ap-
parell and schooleing mostly at the Colledge
for seven years and two months at ;^20 pr.
an*"- 143 03 04
♦ The three Miss Glovers (not Mrs.) viz. Elizabeth, and Sarah and Pris-
cilia Glover mentioned in the next article of charge, were the three daughters
of Mr. jMse, or Josse, Glover deceased. Priscilla married John Appleton,
who also commenced in 1655, an action against Dunster for tool, left to his
wile by her father, and detained by Dunster, which sum Appleton recovered.
NOTES. 465
By diet, apparrell of Mrs. Sarah Glover five years
at sixten pounds pr- annum 080 00 00
By so much recovered out of the estate by Mr.
Appleton, for his vi^ife Mrs. Piiscilla Glover,
her maintenance after her mother's death,
and before marriage with him 088 00 00
By so much paid for extraoi'dinary expences by
Mr. Jn*- Glover, as by note of pai-ticulars 006 15 00
By charges disbursed concerning nine arbitra-
tions, and p*** for writeings to scriven" &c.
£2 in all 007 00 00
* By debts paid by Mr. Dunster which were due
from the estate, in Mr. Josse Glover's life
time 334 12 00
By debts made by Mrs. Glover in the time of her
widowhood, payd by Mr. Dunster clerely
proved 183 15 09
By losses and damages befalling the estate at
Sudbury, payd for fencing on John Glover's
farme at Sudbury 034 19 03
By expences, rates and suites concerning lands
atCambrg=- 045 19 04
By disbursemt'* for reparations of the house at
Cambridge in Mrs. Glover's life 016 04 00
By repaires of the said house after her death 016 01 04
By cattle added to the estate, viz*, three cowes,
one calf, 2 oxen at 031 16 11
By rates payd to the meeting house 002 00 06
1309 03 or
By sa much payd to Mr. Haris for redeeming
a tankard, and a porringer of silver, payd
him in part of his debt 005 1 8 00
1315 01 07
* To Mr. Harris 0250 00 00
To Mr. Turner 0076 12 00
To Cotton Slacke 0008 00 00
0334 12 00
466 HISTORY OF PRINTING,'
By account of some debts contracted by MiW
Glover in her widowhood, w'='' Mr. Dunster
alleadgeth he hath payd; not allowed at pres-
ent for want of cleare proof vizt.
By Mr. King of Lex, 06 12 04
By so much to Mr. Morecroft 25 00 00
By so much to Skidmore Smith 08 00 00
By so much to Mr. Harris 12 19 00
By so much pd. Major Bourne 05 00 00
57 11 04
By so much p"*- to Capt. Kaine being a debt due
before man'iage as appears by bUl 0015 00 09
1330 01 07
Mr. Bellingham declared his dissent from this account and
^parted out of Court before the Court's determination and
jxtdgmt. was drawne up.
IMidcL Records. Vol. /, fi. 87, iJ^c.']
[A] Page 232,
PARTICULAR circum^stances respecting the first print-
ed book in this country may be interesting to some ; I there-
fore mention the following.
It had been customary to sing a prose translation of the
Psalms ; and, for this purpose, the psalms were marked for
singing in lines to suit the tmies. To accommodate common
metre tunes, tAvo syllables in eveiy other line were printed in
black letter, which Avere to be omitted when tunes of this
metre were sung. The minister or the deacon, who read the
psalm line by line as it was sung, usually announced that the
syllables in black, were, or were not, to be omitted.
This practice may, in some measure, account for the sin-
gular version of the Psalms used by our forefathers. It was
their aim in this version to keep as near the original Hebrew
as possible, and they did not even allow themselves any po-
etic license to favor the rhyme. Ains worth had long beea
celebrated as a musician. He had arranged the Psalms in a
NOTES. 467
manner to favor the singing of them, and had comjxised tunes
for that purpose. His psalms and tunes were brought to this
country by our ancestors, and were used by them until the
synod published aversion of the Psalms in conformity to their
apprehension of the original ; in several churches, however,
Ainsworth's Psalms were preferred to this version, and were
continued in use for many years. An edition of Psalms, inti-
tled, Psalterium jimericaniim^ in which lines of eight syllables
were mai'ked out, as before mentioned, by a || for singing,
was printed in Boston as late as 1717.
The synod's version of the Psalms was called in Neweng-
land for many years, The Bay Psalm Book. But afterwards
it was more generally designated, The J\feit} England Psalni
Book. Early jealousies and controversies existed between
the synod and the church in Salem ; and these, for a long
time, prevented this church from adoptmg the Bay Psalm
Book according to the recommendation of that reverend body.
This version was not, in fact, used in Salem church, till 1667,
as appears from the following vote, extracted from the rec-
ords of said church, viz.
" The pastor having formerly propounded and given rea-
son for the use of the Bay Psalm Book in regard of the diffi-
culty of the tunes, and that we could not sing them so well as
formerly, and that there was a singularity in our using Ains-
worth's tunes ; but especially because we had not the liberty
of suiging all the Scripture Psalms according to 3 Coloss. 16.
He did now agam propound the same, and after several breth-
ren had spoken thereto, at last, a unanimous consent with res-
pect to the last reason mentioned, that the Bay Psalms should
be used together with Ainswoi-th's to supply the defects
of it."
[z] Page 22 A.
THE author of " Wonder Working Providence," page
205, gives the following account of this edition of the laws.
*' This year [1646] the General Court appointed a Committee
of diverse persons to draw up a Body of Laws for the well or-
dering this little Commonwealth j and to the end tliat they
468 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
Tnight be most agreeable with the rule of Scripture, in every
County there was appointed two Magistrates, two Ministers,
and two able persons from among the people, who having
provided such a competent number as was meet, together
with the former that were enacted newly amended, they pre-
ser "°d them to the General Court, where they were again pe-
ruseci and amended ; and then another Committee chosen to
bring them into form, and present them to the Court again,
who the year following passed an act of confirmation upon
them, and so committed them to the press, and in the year
1648, they were printed, and now are to be seen of all men, to
the end that none may plead ignorance, and that all who intend
to transport themselves hither may know that this is no place
of licentious liberty, nor will this people suffer any to trample
down this vineyard of the Lord, but with diligent execution
will cut off from the city of the Lord, the wicked doers, and if
any man can shew wherein any of them derogate from the
word of God, very willingly will they accept thereof, and
amend their imperfections (the Lord assisting) but let not any
ill affected persons find fault with them, because they suit not
■with their own humour, or becavise they meddle with matters
of religion, for it is no wrong to any man, that a people who
have spent their estates, many of them, and ventured their
lives for to keep faith and a pure conscience, to use all means
that the word of God allows for maintenance and continuance
of the same, especially they have taken up a desolate wilder-
ness to be their habitation, and not deluded any by keeping
their profession in huggermug, but print and proclaim to all
the way and course they intend, God willing, to walk in. If any
will yet notwithstanding seek to justle them out of their own
right, let them not wonder if they meet with all the opposi-
tion a people put to their greatest straits can make, as in all
their undertaking their chiefest aim hath been to promote the
ordinances of Christ, so also in contriving their Laws, Liber-
ties and Privileges, they have not been wanting, which hath
caused many to malign their civil government, and more es-
pecially for punishing any by a law, that walk contrary to the
rule ot the gospel v^hicU they profess, but to them it seem5
NOTES. 469
unreasonable, and savours too much of hypocrisie, that any
people should pray unto the Lord for the speedy accomplish-
ment of his word in the overthrow of Antichi'ist, and in the
mean time become a patron to sinful opinions and damnable
errors that oppose the truths of Christ, admit it be but in the
bare permission of them."
[A:] Page 255.
THE New Testament was translated into the Indian lan-
guage by the rev. John Eliot, then pastor of the church in
Roxbury. Mr. Eliot was called the Afiostle of the IndiajiSy
and he truly was so. He also translated the Old Testament
into their language, and gave them a version of the Psalms.
They were all completed at the press in 1663, and were bound
together. The rev. Cotton Mather, in his Magnalia, men-
tions that mr. Elliot wrote the whole of this great work with
one pen ; if so, we may presume that his pen was not made of
a goose quill, but of metal.* After mr. Eliot had acquired
the Indian language, he taught English to the Indians, and
formed an English Grammar. He went among them and
preached the gospel, instituted schools, and formed churches.
[/] Page 255.
THE colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut
and Newhaven,t in 1643, entered into articles of confedera-
tion for their mutual safety and support. Each colony was
annually to choose two commissioners, who were to meet
yearly and alternately in the several colonies. These commis-
sioners had the power to manage all concerns, in which the-
colonies were generally interested ; comprising those of war
as well as peace, and each colony retained the direction of its
own internal polity. The commissioners were chosen by the
♦ I have been informed that Edward Gibbon, the celebrated author of
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empiie, wrote the twelve volumes of
■which that work consists with one pen ; which he presented to the beautiful
dutchess of Devonshire, and it was by her preserved in a silver shrine.
+ Nswhaven was at that time a distinct colony from Connecticut.
470 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
general court, or assembly of tl»e respective colonies, and were
called the Commissioners of the United Colonies ; to this of-
fice, men of the most respectable talents were elected, and, not
unfrequently, the governors of the colonies.
By the agency of Massachusetts, a society had been form-
ed in London, for propagating the gospel among the Indians
in Newengland. Some time after tlie confederation of the
colonies took place, the society in England for propagating the
gospel was incorporated by act of parliament ; by which act,
the commissioners of the United Colonies were appointed the
agents of the society, to manage its concerns, and to dispose
of the property which might be forwarded to America, in such
maimer as might promote, in the most useful degi'ee, the de-
signof the institution. In time, the funds of the Coi-poration*
enabled them to send missionaries among the Indians, to in-
struct them in the Christian faith, and to build a number of
small meeting houses, in which the Christianized Indians
might assemble for public worship. An addition was made
to the college at the expense of the corporation, to make
room for the education of Indian youth. Several small books
Trere written, and others translated into the Indian language ;
9Jid, eventually, the design was conceived of translating tlie
whole of the Holy Scriptures into Indian, and to print the
translation. For this great undertaking the corporation sup-
plied the means, and the commissioners of the United Colo-
nies attended to iis execution.
Before the New Testament was finished at the press, the
corporation in England was, at the restoration of king Charles
II, for some reason, deprived of their charter ; but after some
time it was restored and confirmed by the king.f Before the
* The society in England for propagating the gospel among the Indians
was so called.
+ After the charter was restored, the corporation sent over to the commis-
sioners by their request, as a remittance toward printing ths Bible, and in other
ways promoting the propagation of the gospel, a quantity of pieces of eight,
to be recoined here ; which is taken notice of in the following manner in a
letter from the corporation to the commissioners — " We have thought good
in pursuance of the trust committed to vs aad for the Improvement of that
NOTES. 471
charter was restored, the New Testament was completed, and
the commissioners here, and the late members of the corpo-
ration in England, judged it good policy to present to the king
one of the first copies of this work ; and to make it accepta-
ble to his majesty, a dedication was written, printed and pre-
fixed to the few copies of the Testament which were sent to
England. This measure had the effect desired, and the king
became interested in the restoration of the charter. The
copy for the king and nineteen copies more were forwarded
in sheets to the members of the late corporation in England,
with a letter from the commissioners of the United ColonieSj
an extract from which as recorded, follows, viz.
" The New Testament is alreddy finished, and of all the
old the five bookes of Moses ; wee have heerwith sent you
20 peeces [copies] of the New Testament which wee desire
may bee thus disposed viz : that two of the speciall being uery
well bound vp the one may bee presented to his Majestic in
the first place, the other to the Lord Chancellor ; and that five
more may be presented to Doctor Reynolds Mr. Carriil Mr.
Baxter and the two vischancellors of the Vniuersities whoe
wee vnderstand have greatly Incurraged the worke ; the rest
to bee disposed of as you shall see cause."
The dedication is recorded among the proceedings of the
commissioners of the United Colonies, and is there prefaced
in the following manner.
" Vpon the enformation of tlie Desolution of the Corpora-
tion, and intimation of hopes that his Majestic would [renew
little wee have to send you ouer 433 peeces of eight, which cost vs one hun-
dred pounds heer, hauing obtained this priviledge in our Charter that what
■wee shall send ouer shal be without any charge or custom pay'd for the same,
and that the coyning thereof into youer coyne, and according to youer stand-
ard will make a considerable aduance For your supply," &c.
The commissioners, September 18, 1663, in answer to the corporation
obierTe, ♦* Youer honores accepting our bill of fiue hundred pounds, and
sending ouer a supply of an hundred pounds in peeces of eight wee humbly
acknowledge, and haue Improued the said peeces to the vttermost wee could,
whereof by minting or otherwise is 117 lb. o s. 07 d. by which youer hon-
ores may see what aduance there may be made to the stock.e*by sending of
such peeces." [^Records of the United Colonics.'^
472 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
and] confeirme the same, 8cc. The Comissioners thought
meet to present his Majestie with the New Testament print-
ed in the Indian language with these pi-esents following, Sec.
The dedication as printed in the few copies of the Testa-
ment sent to England, is in the following words.
« To the High and Mighty Prince^ Charles the Second^ by the
Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ire-
land, Defender of the Faith, isfc.
" The Commissioners of the United Colonies in New-Eng-
land, wish increase of all happiness, 8cc.
" Most Dread Soveraign,
" If our weak apprehensions have not misled us, this
Work will be no unacceptable Present to Your Majesty, as
having a greater Interest therein, than we believe is generally-
understood : which (upon this Occasion) we conceive it our
Duty to declare.
« The People of these four Colonies (Confederated for Mu-
tual Defence, in the time of the late Distractions of our dear
Native Country) Your Majesties natural born Subjects, by the
Favour and Grant of Your Royal Father and Grandfather of
Famous Memory, put themselves upon this gi-eat and hazard-
ous Undertaking, of Planting themselves at their own Charge
in these remote ends of the Earth, that without offence or
provocation to our dear Brethren and Countrymen, we might
enjoy that liberty to Worship God, which our own Consciences
informed us, was not onely our Right, but Duty : As also that
we might (if it so pleased God) be instrumental to spread the
light of the Gospel, the knowledg of the Son of God our Sav-
iour, to the poor barbarous Heathen, which by His late Maj-
esty, in some of our Patents, is declared to be His principal
aim.
" These honest and Pious Intentions, have, through the
grace and goodness of God and our Kings, been seconded with
proportionable success : for, omitting the Immunities indulg-
ed us by Your Highness Royal Predecessors, we have been
greatly encouraged by Your Majesties gracious expressions
of Favour and Approbation signified, unto the Address made
by the principal of our Colonies, to which the rest do most
j^oTEs. 473'
cordially Subscribe, though wanting the like seasonable op-
portunity, they have been (till now) deprived of the means to
Congratulate Your Majesties happy Restitution, after Your
long suffering, which we implore may yet be graciously ac-
cepted, that we may be equal partakers of Your Royal Favour
and Moderation ; which hath been so Illustrious that (to ad-
miration) the animosities and different Perswasions of men
have been so soon Composed, and so much cau^e of hope, that
(unless the sins of the Nation prevent) a blessed Calm will
succeed the late horrid Confusions of Church and State. And
shall not we {Dread Sovcraign) your Subjects of these Colo-
nies, of the same Faith and Belief in all Points of Doctrine
•witli our Countrymen, and the other Reformed Churches,
(though perhaps not alike perswaded in some matters of Or-
der, which in outward respects hath been unhappy for us)
promise and assure our selves of all just favour and indul-
gence from a Prince so happily and graciously endowed?
" The other part of our Errand hither, hath beeli attended
with Endevours and Blessing ; many of the wilde Indians being
taught, and understanding the Doctrine of the Christian Re-
ligion, and with much affection attending such Preachers as
are sent to teach them, many of their Children are instructed
to Write and Reade, and some of them have proceeded fur-
ther, to attain the knowledge oftheLatine and Greek Tongues,
and are brought up with our English youth in University-
learning : There are divers of them that can and do I'eade
some parts of the Scripture, and some Catechisms, which for-
merly have been Translated into their own Language, which
hath occasioned the undertaking of a greater Work, viz: The
Printing of the whole Bible, which (being Translated by a
painful Labourer amongst them, who was desirous to see the
Work accomplished in his dayes) hath already proceeded to
the finishing of the New Testament, which we here humbly
present to Your Majesty, as the first fruits and accomplish-
ment of the Pious Design of your Royal Ancestors. The
Old Testament is now under the Press, wanting and craving
your Royal Favour and Assistance for the perfecting thereof.
I 3 M
474 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
" We may not conceal, that though this Work hath beeit
begun and prosecuted by such Instruments as God hatli raisecj
up here, yet the chief Charge and Cost, which hath supported
and carried it thus fai*, hath been from the Charity and Piety
of divers of our well-affected Countrymen in £72 g-Zajzc?; who
being sensible of our inability in that respect, and studious to
promote so good a Work, contiibuted large Sums of Money,
which were to.be improved according to the Direction and
Order of the then-prevailing Powers, which hath been faith-
fully and religiously attended both there and here, according
to the pious intentions of the Benefactors. And we do most
humbly beseech your Majesty, that a matter of so much De-
votion and Piety, tending so much to the Honour of God, may
suffer no disappointment through any Legal defect (without
the fault of the Donors, or the poor Indians, who onely receive
the benefit) but that your Majesty be graciously pleased to
Establish and Confirm the same, being contrived and done (as
we conceive) in the first year of your Majesties Reign, as this
Book was begun and now finished in the first year of your Es-
tablishment ; which doth not onely presage the happy success
of your Highness Government, but will be a perpetual monu-
ment, that by your Majesties Favour the Gospel of our Lord
and Saviour Jfsws Christ, was first made known to Xhc Indians :
An Honour whereof (we are assured) your Majesty will not
a little esteem.
" SIR, The shines of Your Roijal Favour upon these Vnder"
takings, will make these tender Plants to flourish, notwithstand-
ing any malevolent Aspect from those that bear evil will to thia
Sion, and render Your Majesty more Illustriou* and Glorious
to after Generations.
« The God of Heaven long preserve and bless Your Majesty
with many happy Dayes, to his Glory, the good and com*
fort of his Church and People. Amen.^*
In 1663, when the whole Bible, and a version of the New*
cngland Psalms, translated into the language of the abo-
rigines of Newengland, were completed from the press, a
copy, elegantly bound, was presented to the king with another
address, or dedication. This address, and tliat presented to
NOTES. 475
his majesty with the New Testament, were printed together
and prefixed to those complete copies of the whole work,
which were sent to England as presents. Few of the copies
which were circulated in this country contained those ad-
dresses. I recollect to have seen, many years since, a copy
that contamed them ; that which I possess is without them, as
are all others which I have lately examined. The rev. Thaddeus
M.Harris, some time since, fortunately discovered in a barber's
shop, a mutilated copy of the Indian Bible, which the barber
was using for waste paper. In this copy the addresses to king
Charles are entire. He transcribed the addresses, and after-
ward published them in Vol. 7, of the Collections of the His-
torical Society. I have extracted them from that volume,
finding them exactly to agree with the copies on the Records
of the Commissioners of the United Colonies, in every thing
but the spelling, which on the records is in a mode more ob-
solete and mcorrect, but doubtless conformable to the origin-
als, which we may well suppose were carefully corrected before
they were printed and prefixed to the Bible.
The Second Address, or Dedication, is as follows.
« To the High and Mighty Prince^ Charles the Second, by the
Grace of God., King of England, Scotland, France and Ire-
land, Defender of the Faith, i:fc.
" The Commissioners of the United Colonies in New-Eng-
land, wish all happiness, Ecc.
<* Most Dread Soveraign,
" As our former Presentation of the New Testament was
Graciously Accepted by Your Majesty; so with all Humble
Thankfulness for that Royal Favour, and witli the like hope,
We are bold now to Present the WHOLE BIBLE, Trans-
lated into the Language of the Natives of this Country, by ^
Painful Labourer in that Work, and noyv Printed ?L\id Finished,
by means of the Pious Beneficence of Your Majesties Subjects
in England: which also by Your Special Favour hath been
Continued and Confirmed to the intended Use and Advance-
ment of so Great and Good a Work, as is the Propagation of
the Gospel to these poor Barbarians in this (Ere-while) Un-
known World.
476 HISTORY OF FEINTING.
" Translations of Holy Scripture, The Word of the King of
Kings, have ever been deemed not unworthy of the most
Princely Dedications : Examples whereof are extant in divers
Languages. But Your Majesty is the First that hath Receiv-
ed one in this Language, or from this American World, or
from any Parts so Remote from Eurofie as these are, for ought
that ever we heard of,
" Publications also of these Sacred Writings to the Sons
of Men (who here, and here onely,have the Mysteries of their
Eternal Salvation revealed to them by the God of Heaven) is
a Work that the Greatest Princes have Honoured themselves
by. But to Publish and Communicate the same to a Lost
People, as remote from Knowledge and Civility, much more
from Christianity, as they were from all Knowing, Civil and
Christian Nations; a People without Law, without Letters,
without Riches, or Means to procure any such thing ; a Peo-
ple that sate as deep in Darkness, and in the shadow of Death,
as (we think) any since the Creation: This puts a Lustre up-
on it that is Superlative ; and to have given Royal Patronage
and Countenance to such a Publication, or to the Means there-
of, will stand among the Marks of Lasting Honour in the eyes
of all that are Considerate, even unto After-Generations.
" And though there be in this Western World many Col-
onies of other Europa^an Nations, yet we humbly conceive, no
Prince hath had a Return of such a W^ork as this ; which
may be some Token of the Success of Your Majesties Planta-
tion of JSTeiV'England, Undertaken and Setled under the En-
couragement and Security of Grants from Your Royal Father
and Grandfather, of Famous Memory, and Cherished with late
Gracious Aspects from Your Majesty. Though indeed, the
present Poverty of these Plantations could not have Accom-
plished this Work, had not the forementioned Bounty of Eiig-
Zanrf lent Relief; Nor could that have Continued to stand us
in stead, without the Influence of Your Royal Favour and Au-
thority, whereby the Corporation there, For Propagating the
Gospel among these A'atives, hath been Established and En-
couraged (whose Labour of Love, Care, and Faithfulness in
that Trust, must ever be remembred with Honour.) Ycji;
NOTES. 477
M'hen private persons, for their private Ends, have of late
sought Advantages to deprive the said Corporation of Half the
Possessions that had been, by Liberal Contributions, obtained
for so Religious Ends ; We understand. That by an Honour-
able and Righteous Decision in Your Majesties Coicrt of Chan-
cery^ their Hopes have been defeated, and the Thing Settled
where it was and is. For which great Favour, and Iliustrious
Fruit of Your Majesties Government, we cannot but return
our most Humble Thanks in this Publick Manner: And, as
the Result, of the joynt Endeavours of Your Majesties Sub-
jects there and here, acting under Your Royal Influence, We
Present You with this Work, which upon sundry accounts is
to be called Yours.
" The Southern Colonies of the Spanish JVaiion have sent
home from this Ainerican Continent., much Gold and Silver,
as tlie Fruit and End of their Discoveries and Transplanta-
tions : That (we confess) is a scarce Commodity in this Colder
Climate. But (sutable to the Ends of our Undertaking) we
Present this, and other Concomitant Fruits of our poor En-
deavors to Plant and Propagate the Gospel here ; which, upon
a true account, is as much better than Gold, as the Souls of
men are more worth than the whole World. This is a No-
bler Fruit (and indeed, in the Counsels of All-Disposing Prov-
idence, was an higher intended End) of Columbus his Adven-
ture. And though by his Brother's being hindred from a
seasonable Application, your Famous Predecessour and An-
cestor, King Henry the Seventh, missed of being sole Owner
of that fii'st Discovery, and of the Riches thereof; yet, if the
Honour of first Discovering the True and Saving Knowledge
of the Gospel unto the poor Americans, Viud of Erecting the
Kingdome of JESUS CHRIST among them, be Reserved
for, and do Redound unto your Majesty, and the English Na-
tion, After-ages Avill not reckon this Inferiour to the other.
Religion is the End and Glory of Mankinde : and as it was the
Professed End of this Plantation ; so we desire ever to keep
it in our Eye as our main design (both as to ourselves, and the
Natives about us) and that our Products may be answerable
thereunto. Give us therefore leave (Dread Soverai^nJ yet
478 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
again humbly to Beg the Continuance of your Royal Favour,
and of the Influences thereof, upon this poor Plantation, The
United Colonies of NEW-ENGLAND, for the Securing and
Establishment of our Civil Priviledges, and Religious Liber-
ties hitherto Enjoyed ; and, upon this Good Work of Propa-
gating Religion to these Natives, that the Suppoits and En-
couragements thereof from £n^/anrf may be still countenanced
and Confinned. May this Nursling stUl suck tlie Breast of
Kings, and be fostered by your Majesty, as it hath been by
your Royal Predecessors, unto the Preservation of its main
Concernments ; It shall thrive and prosper to the Gloiy of God,
and the Honour of your Majesty : Neither will it be any Toss or
grief unto our Lord the King, to have the Blessing of the Poor
to come upon Him, and that from these Ends of the Earth.
" The God by ivhom Kings Reign, and Princes Decree Jus*
ticey Bless Your Majesty, and Establish your Throne in
Righteousness, in Mercy, and in Truth, to the Glory of
His Mime, the Good of His Peofile, and to Your own
Comfort and Rejoycing, not in this onely, but in another
World,"
Specimen of the Language of the Indians of Newengland,
taken from the first edition of the rev. mr. Eliot's translation
of the Bible. Printed at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1661.
The Lord's Prayer. Mat. vi, 9, isfc.
Nooshun kesukqut, qut- Our Father which art in
tianatamunach koowesuonk. heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Peyaumooutch kukketassoo- Thy kingdom come. Thy
tamoonk, kuttenantamoonk will be done in earth, as it is
ne n nach ohkeit neane ke- in heaven. Give us this day
sukqut. Nummeetsuongash our daily bread. And forgive
asekesukokish assamaiinean us our debts, as we forgive
yeuyeu kesukod. Kah ah- our debtors. And lead us not
quontamaiinnean nummatch- into temptation, but deliver
cseongash, neane matchene- us from evil : For thine is the
hukqueagig nutahquontam- kingdom, the power, and the
ounnonog. Ahque sagkom- glory forever. Amen,
pagunaiinnean en qutchhuao-
NOTES. 479
onganit, webe pohquohwus-
sinnean wutch matchitut.
Newutche kutahtaun ketas-
sootamonk, kah menuhkesu-
onk, kah soHsumoonk mich-
eme. Amen.
Some writers have mentioned that the second edition of
the Bible in the Indian language was published after the death
of the translator ; and, that it was revised and corrected by
the rev. John Cotton, of Plymouth. Others observe, that to
the second edition an Indian Grammar was added by mr. Cot-
ton. They must have been misinfonned, as appears by the
statement of mr. Eliot. In a letter dated Roxbury, Nov. 4,
1680, to the hon- Robert Boyle, president of the coiporatioa
for propagating the gospel in Newengland, mr. Eiiot men-
tions, " We are now at the 19th chap, of the Acts ; and when
we have impressed the New Testament, our commissioners
approve of my preparing and impressing also the old." Nov.
27,1683, mr. Eliot in another letter to the same person,
writes, « The work [second edition of the Bible, wliich had
then been more than three years in the pressj goetli on now
with more comfort, though we have had many impediments,
&c. They [the Indians] have still fragments of their old Bi-
bles [first edition] which they make constant use of." Aug.
29, 1686, mr. Eliot informs the hon. Robert Boyle, « the Bi-
ble is come forth ; many hundreds bound up, and disposed to
the Indians, whose thankfulness I intimate and testify to your
honour." And iu another letter of July, 1688, he requests
that 10 /. may be given to the rev. John Cotton, « who has
helped him much in the second edition of the Bible."* It
appears, as has been elsewhere observed, that the second edi-
tion was six years in the press. Mr. Eliot died two years after
this edition was published; according to Mather,t in 1690,
aged 86. The Newengland Version of the Psalms was print-
ed "mth the Bible ; but I cannot find that the Indian Grammar
♦ See the letters at large, His. Col. Vol. j, p. 177. et seq.
+ Magnalla.— Life of Eliot.
o
480 HISTORY OF PRINTING.^
was published with either of the editions. It accompanied
some copies of thePsa/^er; i. e. they were occasionally bound
together in one volume small octavo.
[m] Page 257.
THE following is given as a specimen of the Newengland
version of the Psalms ; first, as they were originally printed ;
and, secondly, as they appeared after being revised and cor-
rected by president Dunster and mr. Lyon. The first psalm
of each edition is selected for the purpose.
[]No. I — By Eliot and others.~^
THE PSALMES
In Metre
PSALME I
Blessed man, that in th'advice
of wicked doeth not walk:
nor stand in sinner's way, nor sit
in chayre of scornfull folk.
2 But in the law of lehovah,
is his longing delight:
and in liis law doth meditate,
by day and eke by night.
3 And he shall be like to a tree
planted by water-rivers:
that in his season yeilds his fruit,
and his leafe never withers.
4 And all he doth, shall prosper well,
the wicked are not so:
but they are like vnto the chaffe,
which winde drives to and fro.
5 Therefore shall not ungodly men,
rise to stand in the doome,
nor shall the sinners with the just,
in their assemblie come.
6 For of the righteous men, the Lord
acknowledgeth the way:
but the way of vngodly men,
shall vtterly decay.
NOTES. 481
[No. II — CorrecUd by Dunster and Lyo7i,'\
THE
BOOK of PSALMS,
PSAL. I.
O Blessed man that walks not in
th 'advice of wicked men
Nor standeth in the sinners Avay
nor scofners seat sits in.
2 But he upon Jehovah's law
doth set his whole delight :
And in his law doth meditate
Both in the day and night.
3 He shall be like a planted tree
by water brooks , which shall
In his due season yield his fruit.
whose leaf shall never fall :
And all he doth shall prosper well.
4 The wicked are not so :
But they are like unto the chaff.
which wind drived to and fro.
■5 Therefore shajll no ungodly meii
in judgement stand upright .
Nor in th 'assembly of the just
shall stand the sinful! wight.
6 For of y* righteous men , y'= LORD
acknowledgeth the way :
Whereas the way of wicked men
shall utterly decay.
[n] Page'lSl.
AS no newspapers, or other periodical works were printed
in this country till 1704, seventy five years after Boston began
to be settled, it is difficult to ascertain facts respecting persons
in private life who died previously to the comrmencement of
such publications ; and, as it was ndt usual to publish charac-
ters of the dead who had not been in some degree eminent in
I 3 N
482 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
cliurch or state till within the last fifty ycai-s, it is remarkable
that we should meet with any thing respecting the private life
of a printer in Boston, from an English writer who flourished
more than a century past ; but it is more so, that the charac-
ter of the Avife of a printer in Boston should be found in a
Bi-itish publication of a remote period. Every thing respect-
ing our first printers, or their families, will, in some degree,
be interesting to our brethren of the type at the present day;
especially, of a printer's wife who was selected, hy an English
author, to draw from real life *' the Picture of the best of
Wives." I will, therefoi'e, carefully copy this picture from
JohnDunton's original ;* it will give the reader an idea of the
standing of Gceen and his wife in society; a glance of their
family and its character, &c. and cannot, I think, fail of being
read with pleasure by the wives and daughters of modem
printers.
" The person whose character I am going to give,as Mrs.
Green, a printer's wife, in Boston. A Wife is the nexitChange
that a Virgi7i can lawfully make, and draws many other Rela-
tions after it : Which Mrs. Green tvas sensible of, For I have
heard her say. That when she miarried Mr. Green, she es-
poused his Obligations also ! and where-ever her Husband,
eitlier by Tyea ofA^ature, or Squeezing of Wax, ow'd either
Money or Love, she esteem'd her self to be no less a Debtor.
She knew her Marriage ivns an Adoption into his family, and
therefore paid to every Branch of it, whtU; their respective sta-
tions-re quir'd. She is sensible that the Duty of her place has
several Aspects ; First, As it relates to her Husband's Per-
son, and next to his Relations, and thirdly to his Fortune. As
to his Person, she well enough knew that the great Duty of a
Wife is Love : Love was the reason that she marry 'd him, for
she knew where Love is Avanting, 'tis but the Carcase of a Mar-
riage ; it was her study therefore, to preserve this Flame of
» Duntoa's " Life and Errors," p. 139, Dunton arrived at Boston in
Msrcb, 1686 ; he was a bookseHcf of extensive trade in London. Hebrought
with him to Boston, a quantity of books for sale; remained there some
months, and visited the governor, the principal magistrates, and all the
clergy, &c. in and near that town.
NOTES. 483
Love, tliat like the Vestal Fire, it might never go out ; and
therefore she took care to guard it from all those things that
might Extinguish it. Mrs* Green knew very well how fatal
Jealousie had been to many ; and therefore as she took care
never to harbour it in her own Breast, so she was nicely care-
ful never to give her Husband the least umbrage for it ; she
knew, shou'd she give way to Jealousie, she shou'd not only
lose her Ease, but run the Hazard of parting also with some-
what of her Innocence ; for Jealousie is very apt to muster up
the Forces of our irascible part to abet its quarrel. Another
Debt that Mrs. Green was sensible she ow'd, and was careful
to pay to her Husband, was Fidelity : She knew that as she
had espous'd his Interest, so she ought to be true to 'em, kee^i
all his Secrets, inform him of his Dangers, and in a mild and
gentle manner admonish him of his Faults. And this she
knew, (how ill soever many take it) is one of the rcxo'nt genuine
Acts of Faithfulness ; and to be wanting in it wou'd be a Fail-
ure in her Duty ; And she was sensible that if she did not do
it, she shou'd be unfaithful to herself, as well knowing nothing
does so much secure the Happiness of a Wife, as the Vertiie
and Piety of her Husband. But Matrimonial Fidelity, has a
special Relation to the Marriage Bed, and in this Mrs. Green
was so severely scrupulous, that she wou'd never suffer any
light Expressions, or wanton Discourse in her Company, and
this was so remarkable in her, that there being an invitation
of several Persons to a Gentleman's House in Boston, and
some that were invited, resolving to be very merry ; one of
the Company made this an Objection, that Mrs. Green vjou'd
he there, which 'ivou\l sjioil their Mirth: To which another
wild Spark in the Company reply 'd, 77.? but sjieaking two or
three words of B — y, and she'll be gone presently. Another
thing that was very remarkable in Mrs. Green, was her Obe-
dience to her Husband ; to whose will she was so exactly ob-
servant, that he cou'd not be more ready to Command, than she
was to obey ; and when sonie of his Commands seem'd not to
be kind, she would obey 'em, and wisely dissemble the Unkind-
ness of Uiem ; as knowing, where Men have not wholly put oft"
humanity, there is anative compassion to amcek suflercr. Shf>
484 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
was also extremely tender of her Husband's Reputation ; set*
ting his Worth in tlie clearest Light, putting his Infirmities
(for Where's the Man who livee without 'em) in the Shade.
And as she was tender of his Reputation, so she was also in
another respect more particulai'ly relating to herself : For
knowing that the 77iis-be/ia'inozi}- of the TfT/c reflects upon the
Husband, she took care to abstain even from all appearance of
oil, and resolved to be (what Cxsar desired of his Wife) not
only free from Fault, but from all suspicion of it. But Mrs.
G}-een was not only a. Loving, a Faithful, and an Obedie?it Wife,
but an Industrious IVife too; managing that part of his Busi-»
ness which he had deputed to her, with so much Apjilicatioji
and Dexterity, as if she had never come into the House ; and
yet so managed her House, as if she had never gone into the
^V^arc-house. — The Emperor Augustus himself, scarce wore
any thing, but what was the Manufacture of his TVife, his
Sister, his Daughter, or his jVieces ; shou'd our gay English
Ladies, those Lilies of our Fields, ivliich neither soiv nor sfiin,
nor gather into Barns, be exempted from furnishing others,
and only Icfc to Cloath themselves, 'tis to be doubted they
wou'd reverse Our Saviour's Parallel of Solonio?i's Glories,
and no Beggar in all /lis Rags, ivoud be arrayed like one of
ihese. — But Mrs. Green followed tlie Example of Solomon*s
Vcrtuous Wife, rjho risekh while it ia yet A'igbt, giving Meat
io her Household, and a Portion to her Maidens. — And as she
is a good Wife to her Jfusband, so she is also a good Mother to
her Children, whom she brings up with that Sweetness and
Facility as is admirable ; not keeping them at too great a dis-
innce, (as some do) thereby discouraging their good parts;
nor by an Over-Fondness, (a fault most Mothers are guilty
of) betraying 'em into a thousand Inconveniencies, which oft-
entimes pi'oves fatal to 'em. In brief, she takes care of their
Education, and whatever else belongs to 'em,sotliat Mr. Green
rn;oys the comfort of hisCh;ldren, without knowing any thing
of the trouble of them. — Nor is she less a good Mistress than
a good Mother; Treating her Sei'vants with that Love &-nA
Gentleness, as if she were their IVIother, taking care both of
their Souls and Bodies, and not letting them want any thing
NOTES. 485
necessary for either. — I one day told her, That I believed sJic
was an extraordi?:ary Wifc^ but Mr. Green was so good a Man
she could ?iot be well otherwise. To which she answered, that
she had so good a Husband was her Mercy ; but had her Hus-
band been as bad a Man as any in the World, her Dtitij wou'd
have been the same, and so she hofid her Practice should have
been ^oo— Which as it is a great Truth, it want3 to be more
known and Practic'd."
[o] Page 284.
BARTHOLOMEW GREEN began the printing of The
Boston News-Letter, in Newbury street, in a small wooden
building, to which another room was annexed some years af^
ter, for the accommodation of his son. This building was
burnt down in January, 1734 ; it was previously occupied as a
printing house both by young Green and John Draper, who
did business independently of each other. Another house of
like dimensions was built on the same spot by John Draper,
the successor of the elder B. Greeh. This building was oc-
cupied as a printing house, until the British troops evacuated
Boston in 1776. At that place began and ended the printing
of The Boston News-Letter. Part of the building is now
standing, back of No. 56, Newbury street. That house was
built and occupied by Richard, the son and successor of John
Draper.
[Ji] Page 286,
THE following is the account of the fire in Boston on the
2d of October, 1711, taken from the News Letter of October
8, 1711. ^^ Boston. On Tuesday the second of October,
about 8 o' Clock in the Evening, a fire broke out in an old
Tenement within a back Yard in Cornhill, near to the First
Meeting-House, occasioned by the carelessness of a poor Scot-
tish Woman, by using Fire near to a parcel of Ocuni, Chips, and
other combustible Rubbish, which soon raised a great Flame,
and being a time of great drought, and the Buildings very diy,
the Flames took hold of the Neighbouring Houses, which were
486 HISTORY OF PRINTING.
high and contiguous in that part, notwithstanding all applica-
tion and diligence to extinguish and prevent the spreading
thereof by throwing of Water, and blowing up of Houses. —
The Fire made its progress throughout Cornhill on both sides
of the Street, and on both sides of the upper parts of King and
Queen-Street; The Town House and the Meeting-House,
with many fair Buildings were Consumed, and several persons
kill'd and burn'cl"
IN the Life of Dr. Franklin, written by himself, little at-
tention seems to have been paid to dates, particularly in nar-
rating events which took place during his minority. He in-
foiTns us, that he was born in Boston, but does not mention the
month nor die year ; he, however, observes,* that his broth-
er returned from England in 1717, with a press and types ;
and, that his fatlier determined to make him a piinter,and was
anxious that he should be fixed with his brother. He also ob-
serves, that he himself held back for some time, but suffered
himself to be persuaded, and signed his indentures. By the
manner in which he mentions these circumstances, we may
suppose that they took place within a short period, and as soon
as his brother began business, w^hich wa« within a few weeks
after he returned from London. The doctor mentions that
when he signed his indentures, he was only twelve years of
age; this was in 1717. The New-England Courant v/as not
published till August, 1721 ; at this time Benjamin Franklin
must have been in his seventeenth year. The first Courant
published by Benjamin Franklin, after his brother was ordered
to print it no longer, is No. 80, dated February 11, 1723, of
course Benjamin must then have been advanced in his eigh-
teenth year. I have seen a file of the Courant from the time
it began to be published in the name of Benjamin Franklin
lo the middle of the year 1726,t the whole of which was pub-
* In the London ismo. edit, of 1793, p. 29.
-I This file is in the Historical I.ibrarv at Boston.
NOTES. 487
lished in the name of Benjamin Franklin. The doctor does
not mention how long the paper was published in his name ;
he only observes, it was for " some months." From the doc-
tor's manner of relating this part of his history, we may con-
clude that he did not leave his brother short of one year after
the Courant was printed in his, Benjamin's, name ; and, if
so, he must have been nearly nineteen years of age ; but, if he
remained with his brother till the year 1726, he would then
have been twenty one years old : Yet the doctor mentions,
page 53, after he left his brother, " he found himself at New-
york, nearly three hundred miles from his home, at the age
only oi seventeen years." It is evident from the doctor's ac-
count of himself after he left his brother, that he did not re-
main with him so long as the Courant was published in the
name of Benjamin Franklin, for he gives an account of his
return to Boston, remaining there some time, his going again
to Philadelphia, working with Keimer, and afterward making
a voyage to London, where he was near two years a journey-r
man, and returning back to America, and again arriving in
Philadelphia in October, 1725. It is difficult to reconcile all
these events with the few dates which the doctor has men-
tioned. But I leave them with tliose who are inclined to
make further investigation.
END OF VOL. L
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